THE
B3HAGVAT - G~EETA;
OR,
DIALOG U ES
OF
KREESHNA AND ARJOON,
IN EIGHTEEN LECTURES,
WITH
N O T ES.
TRANS[fATED FROM THE ORIGINAL, IN THE SANSKRERT, OR ANCIENT LANGUAGE OF THE BRAHMANS,
BY
CHARLES WILKINS,
SENIOR MERCHANT IN THE PERVICE OF THE HONORABLE THE EAST INDIA COMPANY,
ON THEIR BgNGAL ESTABLISHMENT.
CHICAGO:
RELIGIO-PHILOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING
HOUSE.
S. S. JONES, PROPRIETOR.
1871.








MA Y, 30th, 1785.
ADVE R T ISEME NT.
TIHE following Work is published under the authority
of the Court of Direetors of the East india Company,
by the particular desire and recommendation of the
Governor General of India; whose letter to the Chairman of the Oompany will sufficiently explain the motives
for its publication, and furnish the best testimony of
the fidelity, accuracy, and merit of the Translator.
The antiquity of the original, and the veneration in
which it hath been held for so many ages, by a very
considerable portion of the human race, must render it
one of the greatest curiosities ever presented to the literary world.








TO
NATHANIEL SMITH, Esq.
BANARIS, 4th October, 1784.
S I R,
To you, as to the first member of the first commercial
body, not only' of the present age, but of all the known
-generations of mankind, I presume to offer, and to recommend through you, for an offering to the public, a
very curious specimen of the Literature, the Mythology,
and Morality of the ancient Hindoos. It is an episodical extract from the "Mahabharat," a most voluminous
poem, affirmed to have been written upwards of four
thousand years ago, by Kreeshna Dwypayen Veias, a
learned Bramin; to whom is also attributed the compilation of "The Four Vedes, or Bedes," the only existing original scriptures of the religion of Brahma; and
the composition of all the Poorans, which are to this day
taught in their schools, and venerated as poems of divine
inspiration. Among these, and of superior estimation
to the rest, is ranked the Mahabharat. But if the several books here enumerated be really the productions of
their reputed author, which is greatly to be doubted,




6              GOVERNOR HASTINGS
many arguments may be adduced to ascribe to the same
source the invention of the religion itself, as well as its
promulgation: and he must, at all events, claim the
merit of having first reduced the gross and scattered
tenets of their former faith into a scientific and allegorical system.
The Mahabharat contains the genealogy and general
history of the house of Bhaurut, so called from Bhurrut,
its founder; the epithet Maha, or Great, being prefixed
in token of distinction: but its more particular object is
to relate the dissentions and wars of the two great collateral branches of it, called Kooroos and Pandoos; both
lineally descended in the second degree from Veecheetraveerya, their common ancestor, by their respective
fathers Dreetrarashtra and Pandoo.
The Kooroos, which indeed is sometimes used as a
term comprehending the whole family, but most frequently applied as the patronymic of the elder branch
alone, are said to have been one hundred in number, of
whom Dooryodun was esteemed the head and representative even during the life of his father, who was incapacitated by blindness. The sons of Pandoo were five;
Yoodhishteer, Bheem, Arjoon, Nekool, and Sehadeo;
who, through the artifices of Dooryodun, were banished,
by their uncle and guardian Dreetrarashtra, from Hastenapoor, at that time the seat of government of Hindostan.
The exiles, after a series of adventures, worked up
with a wonderful fertility of genius and pomp of language into a thousand sublime descriptions, returned
with a powerful army to avenge their wrongs, and assert
their pretensions to the empire in right of their father;




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.            7
by whom, though the younger brother, it had been held
while he lived, on account of the disqualification already
mentioned of Dreetrarashtra.
In this state the episode opens, and is called "The
"Geeta of Bhagvat," which is one of the names of
Kreeshna. Arjoon is represented as the favorite and
pupil of Kreeshna, here taken for God himself, in his
last Ootar, or descent to earth in a mortal form.
The Preface of the Translator will render any further
explanation of the Work unnecessary. Yet something
it may be allowable for me to add respecting my own
judgment of a work which I have thus informally obtruded on your attention, as it is the only ground on
which I can defend the liberty which I have taken.
Might I, an unlettered man, venture to prescribe
bounds to the latitude of criticism, I should exclude, in
estimating the merit of such a production, all rules
drawn from the ancient or modern literature of Europe,
all references to such sentiments or manners as are become the standards of propriety for opinion and action
in our own modes of life, and equally all appeals to our
revealed tenets of religion and moral duty. I should
exclude them, as by no means applicable to the language, sentiments, manners, or morality appertaining
to a system of society with which we have been for ages
unconnected, and of an antiquity preceding even the first
efforts of civilization in our own quarter of the globe,
which, in respect to the general diffusion and common
participation of the arts and sciences, may be now considered as one community.
I would exact from every reader the allowance of
obscurity, absurdity, barbarous habits, and a perverted




8               GOVERNOR HASTINGS
morality. Where the reverse appears, I would have
him receive it (to use a familiar phrase) as so much clear
gain, and allow it a merit proportioned to the disappointment of a different expectation.
In effect, without bespeaking this kind of indulgence,
I could hardly venture to persist in my recommendation
of this production for public notice.
Many passages will be found obscure, many will seem
redundant; others will be found cloathed with ornaments
of fancy unsuited to our taste, and some elevated to a
track of sublimity into which our habits of judgment will
find it difficult to pursue them; but few which will shock
either our religious faith or moral sentiments. Something too must be allowed to the subject itself, which is
highly metaphysical, to the extreme difficulty of rendering abstract terms by others exactly corresponding with
them in another language, to the arbitrary combination
of ideas, in words expressing unsubstantial qualities, and
more, to the errors of interpretation   The modesty of
the Translator would induce him to defend the credit
of his work, by laying all its apparent defects to his own
charge, under the article last enumerated; but neither
does his accuracy merit, nor the work itself require that
concession.
It is also to be observed, in illustration of what I have
premised, that the Brahmans are enjoined to perform a
kind of spiritual discipline, not, I believe, unknown to
some of the religious orders of Christians in the Romish
Church. This consists in devoting a certain period of
time to the contemplation of the Deity, his attributes,
and the moral duties of this life. It is required of those
who practice this exercise, not only that they divest their




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.             9
minds of all sensual desire, but that their attention be
abstracted from. every external object, and absorbed,
with every sense, in the prescribed subject of their meditation. I myself was once a witness of a man employed
in this species of devotion, at the principal temple of
Banaris. His right hand and arm were enclosed in a
loose sleeve or bag of red cloth, within which he passed
the beads of his rosary, one after another, through his
fingers, repeating with the touch of each (as I was informed) one of the names of God, while his mind laboured to catch and dwell on the idea of the quality
which appertained to it, and shewed the violence of its
exertion to attain this purpose by the convulsive movements of all his features, his eyes being at the same time
closed, doubtless to assist the abstraction.  The importance of this duty cannot be better illustrated, nor
stronger marked, than by the last sentence with which
Kreeshna closes his instruction to Arjoon, and which is
properly the conclusion of the Geeta: "Hath what I
"have been speaking, 0 Arjoon, been heard with thy
" mind fixed to one point.? Is the distraction of thought,
" which arose from thy ignorance, removed?"
To those who have never been accustomed to this
separation of the mind from the notices of the senses, it
may not be easy to conceive by what means such a
power is to be attained; since even the most studious
men of our hemisphere will find it difficult so to restrain
their attention but that it will wander to some object of
present sense or recollection; and even the buzzing of a
fly will sometimes have the power to disturb it.  But if
we are told that there have been men who were successively, for ages past, in the daily habit of abstracted




10             GOVERNOR HASTINGS
contemplation, begun in the earliest period of youth,
and continued in many to the maturity )f age, each adding some portion of knowledge to the store accumulated
by his predecessors; it is not assuming too much to conclude, that, as the mind ever gathers strength, like the
body, by exercise, so in such an exercise it may in each
have acquired the faculty to which they aspired, and
that their collective studies may -have led them to the
discovery of pew tracks and combinations of sentiment,
totally different from the doctrines with which the learned
of other nations are acquainted: doctrines, which however speculative and subtle, still, as they possess the
advantage of being derived from a source so free from
every adventitious mixture, may be equally founded in
truth with the most simple of' our own. But as they
must differ, yet more than the most abstruse of ours,
from the common modes of thinking, so they will require
consonant modes of expression, which it may be impossible to render by any of the known terms of science in
our language, or even to make them intelligible by definition. This is probably the case with some of the
English phrases, as those of "Action," "Application,"
" Practice," &c. which occur in Mr.Wilkins's translation;
and others, for the reasons which I have recited, he has
left with the same sounds in which he found them. When
the text is rendered obscure from such causes, candor
requires that credit be given to it for some accurate
meaning, though we may not be able to discover it; and
that we ascribe their obscurity to the incompetency of
our own perceptions, on so novel an application of them,
rather than to the less probable want of perspicuity in
the original composition,




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.           11
With the deductions, or rather qualifications, which I
have thus premised, I hesitate not to pronounce the
Geeta a performance of great originality; of a sublimity
of conception, reasoning, and diction, almost unequalled;
and a single exception, among all the known religions
of mankind, of a theology accurately corresponding with
that of the Christian dispensation, and most powerfully
illustrating its fundamental doctrines.
It will not be fair to try its relative worth by a comparison with the original text of the first standards of
European composition; but let these be taken even in
the most esteemed of their prose translations; and in
that equal scale let their merits be weighed. I should
not fear to place, in opposition to the best French versions of the most admired passages of the Iliad or Odyssey, or of the 1st and 6th Books of our own Milton,
highly as I venerate the latter, the English translation
of the Mahabharat.
One blemish will be found in it, which will scarcely
fail to make its own impression on every correct mind;
and which for that reason I anticipate. I mean, the
attempt to describe spiritual existences by terms and
images which appertain to corporeal forms. Yet even
in this respect it will appear less faulty than other works
with which I have placed it in competition; and, defective as it may at first appear, I know not whether a
doctrine so elevated above common perception did not
require to be introduced by such ideas as were familiar
to the mind, to lead it by a gradual advance to the pure
and abstract comprehension of the subject. This will
seem to have been, whether intentionally or accidentally,
the order which is followed by the author of Geeta; and




12             GOVERNOR HASTINGS
so far at least, he soars far beyond all competitors in
this species of composition. Even the frequent recurrence of the same sentiment, in a variety of dress, may
have been owing to the same consideration of the extreme
intricacy of the subject, and the consequent necessity
of trying different kinds of exemplification and argument, to impress it with due conviction on the understanding. Yet I believe it will appear, to an attentive
reader, neither deficient in method, nor in perspicuity.
On the contrary, I thought it at the first reading, and
more so at the second, clear beyond what I could have
reasonably expected, in a discussion of points so far
removed beyond the reach of the senses, and explained
through so foreign a medium.
It now remains to say something of the Translator,
Mr. Charles Wilkins. This gentleman, to whose ingenuity, unaided by models for imitation, and by artists
for his direction, your government is indebted for its
printing-office, and for many official purposes to which
it has been profitably applied, with an extent unknown
in Europe, has united to an early and successful attainment of the Persian and Bengal languages, the study
of the Sanskreet. To this he devoted himself with a
perseverance of which there are few examples, and with
a success which encouraged him to undertake the translation of the Mahabharat.  This book is said to consist
of more than one hundred thousand metrical stanzas, of
which he has at this time translated more than a third;
and, if I may trust to the imperfect tests by which I
myself have tried a very small portion of it, through the
medium of another language, he has rendered it with




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.           13
great accuracy and fidelity. Of its elegance, and the
skill with which he has familiarized (if I may so express
it) his own native language to so foreign an original, I
may not speak, as from the specimen herewith presented,
whoever reads it, will judge for himself.
Mr. Wilkins's health having suffered a decline from
the fatigues of business, from which his gratuitous labors
allowed him no relaxation, he was advised to try a change
of air for his recovery. I myself recommended that of
Banaris, for the sake of the additional advantage which
he might derive from a residence in a place which is
considered as the first seminary of Hindoo learning;
and I promoted his application to the Board, for their
permission to repair thither, without forfeiting his official
appointments during the term of his absence.
I have always regarded the encouragement of every
species of useful diligence, in the servants of the Company, as a duty appertaining to my office; and have
severely regretted that I have possessed such scanty
means of exercising it, especially to such as required an
exemption from official attendance; there being few
emoluments in this service but such as are annexed to
official employment, and few offices without employment.
Yet I believe I may take it upon me to pronounce, that
the service has at no period more abounded with men
of cultivated talents, of capacity for business, and liberal
knowledge; qualities which reflect the greater lustre on
their possessors by having been the fruit of long and
laboured application, at a season of life, and with a licence
of conduct, more apt to produce dissipation than excite
the desire of improvement.
Such studies, independently of their utility, tend,




14             GOVERNOR HASTINGS
especially when the pursuit of them is general, to diffuse
a generosity of sentiment, and a disdain of the meaner
occupations of such minds as are left nearer to the state
of uncultivated nature; and you, Sir, will believe me,
when I assure you, that it is on the virtue, not the ability
of their servants, that the Company must rely for the
permanency of their dominion.
Nor is the cultivation of language and science, for
such are the studies to which I allude, useful only in
forming the moral character and habits of the service.
Every accumulation'of knowledge, and especially such
as is obtained by social communication with people over
whom we exercise a dominion founded on the right of
conquest, is useful to the state: it is the gain of humanity: in the specific instance which I have stated, it attracts and conciliates distant affections; it lessens the
weight of the chain by which the natives are held in
subjection; and it imprints on the hearts of our own
countrymen the sense and obligation of benevolence.
Even in England, this effect of it is greatly wanting. It
is not very long since the inhabitants of India were considered by many, as creatures scarce elevated above the
degree of savage life; nor, I fear, is that prejudice yet
wholly eradicated, though surely abated.  Every instance which brings their real character home to observation will impress us with a more general sense of feeling
for their natural rights, and teach us to estimate them
by the measure of our own. But such instances can
only be obtained in their writings: and these will survive when the British dominion in India shall have long
ceased to exist, and when the sources which it once
yielded of wealth and power are lost to remembrance.




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.            15
If you, Sir, on the perusal of Mr. Wilkins's performance, shall judge it worthy of so honorable a patronage,
may I take the further liberty to request that you will
be pleased to present it to the Court of Directors, for
publication by their authority, and to use your interest
to obtain it?  Its public reception will be the test of its
real merit, and determine Mr. Wilkins in the prosecution
or cessation of his present laborious studies.  It may,
in the first event, clear the way to a wide and unexplored
field of fruitful knowledge; and suggest, to the generosity
of his honorable employers, a desire to encourage the
first persevering adventurer in a service in which his
example will have few followers, and most probably none,
if it is to be performed with the gratuitous labor of years
lost to the provision offuture subsistence: for the study
of the Sanskreet cannot, like the Persian language, be
applied to official profit, and improved with the official
exercise of it. It can only derive its reward, beyond
the breath of fame, in a fixed endowment. Such has
been the fate of his predecessor, Mr. Halhed, whose
labors and incomparable genius, in two useful productions, have been crowned with every success that the
public estimation could give them; nor will it detract
from the no less original merit of Mr. Wilkins, that I
ascribe to another the title of having led the way, when
I add, that this example held out to him no incitement
to emulate it, but the prospect of barren applause. To
say more, would be disrespect; and I believe that I address myself to a gentleman who possesses talents congenial with those which I am so anxious to encourage,
and a mind too liberal to confine its beneficence to such




16             GOVERNOR HASTINGS
arts alone as contribute to the immediate and substantial advantages of the state.
I think it proper to assure you, that the subject of
this address, and its design, were equally unknown to
the person who is the object of it; from whom I originally obtained the translation for another purpose, which
on a second revisal of the work I changed, from a belief
that it merited a better destination.
A mind rendered susceptible by the daily experience
of unmerited reproach, may be excused if it anticipates
even unreasonable or improbable objections. This must
be my plea for any apparent futility in the following
observation. I have seen an extract from a foreign
work of great literary credit, in which my name is mentioned with-very undeserved applause, for an attempt
to introduce the knowledge of Hindoo literature into the
European world, by forcing or corrupting the religious
consciences of the Pundits, or professors of their sacred
doctrines. This reflection was produced by the publication of Mr. Halhed's translation of the Poottee, or
code of Hindoo laws; and is totally devoid of foundation.
For myself I can declare truly, that if the acquisition
could not have been obtained but by such means as
have been supposed, I should never have sought it. It
was contributed both cheerfully and gratuitously, by
men of the most respectable characters for sanctity and
learning in Bengal, who refused to accept more than
the moderate daily subsistence of one rupee each, during
the term that they were employed on the compilation;
nor will it much redound to my credit, when I add, that
they have yet received no other reward for their meritorious labors. Very natural causes may be ascribed for




TO NATHANIEL SMITH, ESQ.           17
their reluctance to communicate the mysteries of their
learning to strangers, as those to whom they have been
for some centuries in subjection, never enquired into
them,- but to turn their religion into derision, or deduce
from them arguments to support the intolerant principles
of their own. From our nation they have received a
different treatment, and are no less eager to impart their
knowledge than we are to receive it. I could say much
more in proof of this fact, but that it might look too
much like self-commendation.
I have the honor to be, with respect,
S I R,
Your most obedient, and
Most humble Servant,
WARREN HASTINGS.
Calcutta, 3d Dec'r, 1784.
P. S. Since the above was written, Mr. Wilkins has
transmitted to me a corrected copy of his Translation,
with the Preface and Notes much enlarged and improved.
In the former, I meet with some complimentary passages,
which are certainly improper for a work published at my
own solicitation. But he is at too great a distance to
allow of their being sent back to him for correction,
without losing the opportunity, which I am unwilling to
lose, of the present dispatch; nor could they be omitted,
if I thought myself at liberty to expunge them, without
requiring considerable alterations in the context. They
must therefore stand; and I hope that this explanation
will be admitted as a valid excuse for me in passing
them.                                    W. H.








THE
lB HlAGVAT - GEE T' A,
O R
D IAL O GUE S
OF
Q 0   H   CD  R 
KREESHNA AND ARJ ON.








MR. WILKINS TO GOVERNOR HASTINGS.    21
TO THE HONORABLE
WARREN HASTINGS, Esq.
GOVERNOR GENERAL, &c. &c.
HONORABLE SIR,
UNCONSCIOUS of the liberal purpose for which you
intended the Geeta, when, at your request, I had the
honor to present you with a copy of the manuscript, I
was the less solicitous about its imperfections, because I
knew that your extensive acquaintance with the customs
and religious tenets of the Hindoos would elucidate every
passage that was obscure, and I had so often experienced
approbation from your partiality, and correction from
your pen: It was the theme of a pupil to his preceptor
and patron. But since I received your commands to
prepare it for the public view, I feel all that anxiety
which must be inseparable from one who, for the first
time, is about to appear before that awful tribunal; and
I should dread the event, were I not convinced that the
liberal sentiments expressed in the letter you have done
me the honor to write, in recommendation of the work,
to the Chairman of the Direction, if permitted to accompany it to the press, would screen me, under its own
intrinsic merit, from all censure.




22    SMR. WILKINS TO GOVERNOR IIASTINGS.
The world, Sir, is so well acquainted with your boundless patronage in general, and of the personal encouragement you have constantly given to my fellow-servants
in particular, to render themselves more capable of performing their duty in the various branches of commerce,
revenue, and policy, by the study of the languages, with
the laws and customs of the natives, that it must deem
the first fruit of every genius you have raised a tribute
justly due to the source from which it sprang. As that
personal encouragement alone first excited emulation in
my breast, and urged me to prosecute my particular
studies, even beyond the line of pecuniary reward, I
humbly request you will permit me, in token of my
gratitude, to lay the Geeta publicly at your feet.
I have the honor to subscribe myself, with great respect,
Honorable Sir,
Your most obedient, and
Most humble Servant,
Banaris,
19th November, 1784.
CHA'S WILKINS.




THE
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
THE following work, forming part of the Mahabharat,
an ancient Hindoo poem, is a dialogue supposed to have
passed between Kreeshna, an incarnation of the Deity,
and his pupil and favorite Arjoon, one of the five sons of
Pandoo, who is said to have reigned about five thousand
years ago, just before the commencement of a famous
battle fought on the plains of Koorookshetra, near Dlehly,
at the beginning of the Kalee- Yoog, or fourth and present age of the world, for the empire of Bharat-versh,
which, at that time, included all the countries that, in
the present division of the globe, are called India, extending from the borders of Persia to the extremity of
China; and from the snowy mountains to the southern
promontory.
The Brahmans esteem this work to contain all the
grand mysteries of their religion; and so careful are
they to conceal it from the knowledge of those of a different persuasion, and even the vulgar of their own, that
the Translator might have sought in vain for assistance,
had not the liberal treatment they have of late years
experienced from the mildness of our government, the
tolerating principles of our faith, and, above all, the
personal attention paid to the learned men of their order
by him under whose auspicious administration they have




24           TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
so long enjoyed, in the midst of surrounding troubles,
the blessings of internal peace, and his exemplary encouragement, at length happily created in their breasts
a confidence in his countrymen sufficient to remove almost every jealous prejudice from their minds.
It seems as if the principal design of these dialogues
was to unite all the prevailing modes of worship of those
days; and, by setting up the doctrine of the unity of
the Godhead, in opposition to idolatrous sacrifices, and
the worship of images, to undermine the tenets inculcated by the Veds; for, although the author dared not
make a direct attack, either upon the prevailing prejudices of the people, or the divine authority of those ancient books; yet, by offering eternal happiness to such
as worship Brahm, the Almighty, whilst he declares the
reward of such as follow other Gods, shall be but a temporary enjoyment of an inferior heaven, for a period
measured by the extent of their virtues, his design was
to bring about the downfall of Polytheism; or, at least,
to induce men to believe God present in every image
before which they bent, and the object of all their ceremonies and sacrifices.
The most learned Brahmans of the present times are
Unitarians, according to the doctrines of Kreeshna, but,
at the same time that they believe but in one Godr an
universal spirit, they so-far comply with the prejudices
of the vulgar, as outwardly to perform all the ceremonies inculcated by the Veds, such as sacrifices, ablutions, etc. They do this, probably, more for the support
of their own consequence, which could only arise from
the great ignorance of the people, than in compliance
with the dictates of Kreeshna; indeed, this ignorance,




TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.             25
and these ceremonies, are as much the bread of the Brahmans, as the superstition of the vulgar is the support of
the priesthood in many other countries.
The reader will have the liberality to excuse the obscurity of many passages, and the confusion of sentiments
which runs through the whole, in its present form. It
was the Translator's business to remove as much of this
obscurity and confusion as his knowledge and abilities
would permit. This he hath attempted in his Notes; but
as he is conscious they are still insufficient to remove the
veil of mystery, he begs leave to remark, in his own justification, that the text is but imperfectly understood by
the most learned Brahmans of the present times; and
that, small as the work may appear, it has had more
comments than the Revelations. These have not been
totally disregarded; but, as they were frequently found
more obscure than the original they were intended to
elucidate, it was thought better to leave many of the
most difficult passages for the exercise of the reader's
own judgment, than to mislead him by such wild opinions as no one syllable of the text could authorize.
Some apology is also due for a few original words and
proper names that are left untranslated and unexplained.
The Translator was frequently too diffident of his own
abilities to hazard a term that did but nearly approach
the original, and too ignorant, at present, of the mythology of this ancient people, to venture any very particular account, in his Notes, of sufh Deities, Saints,
and Heroes, whose names are but barely mentioned in
the text. But should the same Genius, whose approbation first kindled emulation in his breast, and who
alone hath urged him to undertake, and supported him




26            TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
through the execution of far more laborious tasks than
this, find no cause to withdraw his countenance, the
Translator may be encouraged to prosecute the study
of the theology and mythology of the Iindoos, for the
future entertainment of the curious.
It is worthy to be noted, that Kreeshna, throughout
the whole, mentions only three of the four books of the
Veds, the most ancient scriptures of the Iindoos, and
those the first three, according to the present order.
This is a very curious circumstance, as it is the present
belief that the whole four were promulgated by Brahma
at the creation. The proof, then, of there having been
but three before his time, is more than presumptive, and
that so many. actually existed before his appearance;
and, as the fourth mentions the name of Kreeshna, it
is equally proved that it is a posterior work. This observation has escaped all the commentators, and was
received with great astonishment by the Pandeet who
was consulted in the translation.
The Translator has not as yet had leisure to read
any part of those ancient scriptures.  He is told, that a
very few of the original number of chapters are now to
be found, and that the study of these is so difficult, that
there are but few men in Banaris who understand any
part of them. If we may believe the Mahabharat, they
were almost lost five thousand years ago; when Vyas,
so named from having superintended the compilation of
them, collected the scattered leaves, and, by the assistance of his disciples, collated and preserved them in
four books.




THE
B HAG VAT - GEE TA,
OR
DIALOG UES
OF
KREESHNA AND ARJOON.
LECTURE 1.
THE GRIEF OF ARJOON.
D)HREETARASHTRA said,
"TELL me, 0 Sanjay, what the people of my own
party, and those of the Pandoos, who are assembled at
xooroo-kshetra resolved for war, have been doing.
SANJAY replied,
" Dooryodhan having seen the army of the Pandoos
drawn up for battle, went to his Preceptor, and addressed him in the following words:"
" Behold! 0 master, said he, the mighty army of the
sons of Pandoo drawn forth by thy pupil, the experi



28            THE GRIEF OF ARJOON.
enced son of Droopad.  In it are heroes, such as Blteem
or Arjoon: there is Yooyoodhana, and Veerat, and
Droopad, and Dhreeshtaketoo, and Chekeetana, and the
valiant prince of Kasee, and Pooroojeet, and Koonteebhoja, and Sivya, a mighty chief, and YoodhamanyooVeekranta, and the daring Ootamowja; so the son of
Soobhadra, and the sons of Kreeshna, the daughter of
Droopad, all of them great in arms. Be acquainted
also with the names of those of our party who are the
most distinguished. I will mention a few of those who
are amongst my generals, by way of example.  There
is thyself, my Preceptor, and Bheeshma, and Kreepa,
the conqueror in battle, and Aswatthama, and  Veekarna, and the son of Sama-datta, with others in vast
numbers, who for my service have forsaken the love ot
life. They are all of them practised in the use of arms,
and experienced in every mode of fight. Our innumerable forces are commanded by Bheeshma, and the inconsiderable army of our foes is led by Bheem. Let
all the generals, according to their respective divisions,
stand in their posts, and one and all resolve Bheeshma
to support."
The ancient chief*, and brother of the grandsire of
the Kooroos, then, shouting with a voice like a roaring
lion, blew his shellt to raise the spirits of the Kooroo
chief; and instantly innumerable shells, and other warlike instruments, were struck up on all sides, so that the
clangour was excessive. At this time Kreeshnat and
*The'ancient chief.-Bheeshma, brother of Veecheetraveerya, grandfather of
the Kooroos and the Pandoos.
t Shell.-The conch or chank.: Kreeshna.-An incarnation of the Deity.




THE GRIEF OF ARJOON.             29
Arioon* were standing in a splendid chariot drawn by
white horses. They also sounded their shells, which
were of celestial form; the name of the one which was
blown by'Kreeshna, was Panchajanya, and_that of Arjoon was called Deva-datta. Bheem, of dreadful deeds,
blew his capacious shell Powndra, and Yoodheeshteer,
the royal son of Koontee, sounded Ananta-Veejay.
Plakool and Sahadeva blew their shells also; the one
called Soogosha, the other Maneepooshpaka. The
prince of Kasee of the mighty bow, Seekhandee,
Dhreeshtadhoomna, Veerata, Satyakee of invincible
arm, Droopad and the sons of his royal daughter Kreeshna, with the son of Soobhadra, and all the other
chiefs and nobles, blew also their respective shells; so
that their shrill sounding voices pierced the hearts of
the Kooroos, and re-echoed with a dreadful noise from
heaven to earth.
In the meantime Arjoon, perceiving that the sons of
IDhreetarashtra stood ready to begin the fight, and that
the weapons began to fly abroad, having taken up his
bow, addressed Kreeshna in the foll6wing words:
ARJOON.
"I pray thee, Kreeshna, cause my chariot to be
driven and placed between the two armies, that I may
behold who are the men that stand ready, anxious to
commence the bloody fight; and with whom it is that I
am to fight in this ready field; and who they are that
are here assembled to support the vindictive son of
Dhreetarashtra in the battle."
Kreeshna being thus addressed by Arjoon, drove the
chariot; and, having caused it to halt in the midst of
* Arjoon.-The third son of Pandoo, and the favorite of Kreeshna.




30            THE GRIEF OF ARJOON,
the space in front of the two armies, bad Arjoon cast
his eyes towards the ranks of the Kooroos, and behold
where stood the aged Bheeshma., and Dron, with all the
chief nobles of their party. He looked at both the
armies, and beheld, on either side, none but grandsires,
uncles, cousins, tutors, sons, and brothers, near relations, or bosom friends; and when he had gazed for a
while, and beheld such friends as these prepared for the
fight, he was seized with extreme pity and compunction,
and uttered his sorrow in the following words:
ARJOON.
"Having beheld, 0 Kreeshna! my kindred thus
standing anxious for the fight, my members fail me, my
countenance withereth, the hair standeth an end upon
my body, and all my frame' trembleth with horror!
Even Gandeev* my bow escapeth from my hand, and
my skin is parched and dried up. I am not able to
stand; for my understanding, as it were, turneth round,
and I behold inauspicious omens on all sides. When I
shall have destroyed my kindred, shall I longer look
for happiness? I wish not for victory, Kreeshna; I
want not dominion; I want not pleasure; for what is
dominion, and the enjoyments of life, or even life itself,
when those, for whom dominion, pleasure, and enjoyment were to be coveted, have abandoned life and fortune, and stand here in the field ready for the battle?
Tutors, sons and fathers, grandsires and grandsons,
uncles and nephews, cousins, kindred, and friends!
Although they would kill me, I wish not to fight them;
no, not even for the dominion of the three regions of
the universe, much less for this little earth! Having
* Gandeev my bow.-The gift of Varoon the God of the Ocean.




THE GRIEF OF ARJOON.                              31
killed the sons of Dhreetarashtra, what pleasure, 0
KreeT3hna, can we enjoy? Should we destroy them,
tyrants as they are, sin would -take refuge with us. It
therefore behoveth us not to kill such near relations as
these.  How, 0 Kreeshna, can we be happy hereafter,
when we have been the murderers of our race? What
if they, whose minds are depraved by the lust of power,
see no sin in the extirpation of their race, no crime in
the murder of their friends, is that a reason why we
should not resolve to turn away from such a crime, we
who abhor the sin of extirpating the kindred of our
blood! In the destruction of a family, the ancient
virtue of the family is  lost.   Upon  the  loss  of virtue,
vice and impiety overwhelm the whole of a race. From
the influence of impiety the females of a family grow
vicious; and from women that are become vicious are
born the spurious brood called Varna-sankar. The
Sanklar provideth Hell* both for those which are slain
and those which  survive; and  their  forefathers,t being
* Hell. In the original Nark. The infernal regions, supposed to be situated at
the bottom of the earth, where those w: ose virtues are less than their vices are
doomed to dwell for a period proportioned to their crimes, bfter which they rise
agin to inhabit the bodies of unclean beasts.
t Forefathers, etc. —The Hindoos are enjoined by the Veds to offer a cake, which
is called Peenda to the ghosts of their ancestors, as far back as the third generation. This ceremony is performed on the day of the new moon in every month.
The offering of water is in like manner commanded to be performed daily, and this
ceremony is called Tarpan, to satisfy, appease.-The souls of such men as have
left childA*n to continue their generation, are supposed to be transported, immediately upon quitting their bodies, into a certain region called Peetree-log, where
they may continue in proportion to their former virtues, provided these ceremonies be not neglected; otherwise, they are precipitated into Nark, and doomed
to be born again in the bodies of unclean beasts; and until, by repeated regenerations, all their sins are done away, and they attain such a degree of perfection as
will entitle them to what is called Mooktee, eternal salvation, by which is understood a release from future ti ansmigration, and an absorption in the nature of the
Godhead, who is ca led Brahm. These ceremonies, which are called Sradh, were
not unknown to the Greeks and Romans,. and are still practised by the followers of
Mahommed.




32            THE GRIEF OF ARJOON.
deprived of the ceremonies of cakes and water offered
to their manes, sink into the infernal regions.. By the
crimes of those who murder their own relations, sore
cause of contamination and birth of Varna-sankars, the
family virtue, and the -virtue of a whole tribe is forever
done away; and we have been told, 0 Kreeshna, that
the habitation of those mortals whose generation hath
lost its virtue, shall be in Hell. Woe is me! what a
great crime are we prepared to commit! Alas! that
for the lust of the enjoyments of dominion we stand
here ready to murder the kindred of our own blood!
I would rather patiently suffer that the sons of Dhreetarashtra, with their weapons in their hands, should
come upon me, and, unopposed, kill me unguarded in
the field."
When Arjoon had ceased to speak, he sat down in
the chariot between the two armies; and having put
away his bow and arrows, his heart was overwhelmed
witb affliction.




LECTURE II.
OF THE NATURE OF THE SOUL, AND SPECULATIVE DOCTRINES.
KREESHNA beholding him thus influenced by compunction, his eyes overflowing with a flood of tears, and
his heart oppressed with deep affliction, addressed him
in the following words:
KREESHNA.
"Whence, 0 Arjoon, cometh unto thee, thus stinding in the field of battle, this folly and unmanly weakness? It is disgraceful,'contrary Ato duty,* and the
foundation of dishonor. Yield not thus to unmanliness,
for it ill becometh one like thee. Abandon this despicable weaknesssof thy heart, and stand up."
ARJOON.
"How, 0 Kreeshna, shall I resolve to fight with my
arrows irn the field against such as Bheeshma and Dron,
who, of all men, are most worthy of my respect? I
would rather beg my bread about the world, than be the
murderer of my preceptors, to whom such awful reverence is due. Should I destroy such friends as these, I
should partake of possessions, wealth, and pleasures,
polluted with their blood. We know not whether it
would be better that we should defeat them, or they us;
for those, whom having killed, I should not wish to live,
are even the sons and people of Dhreetarashtra who are
e Contrary to duty.-Contrary to the duty ot a soldier.




34              NATURE OF THE SOUL.
here drawn up before us. My compassionate nature is
overcome by the dread of sin.
Tell me truly what may be best for me to do. I am
thy disciple, wherefore instruct me in my duty, who am
under thy tuition; for my understanding is confounded
by the dictates of my duty,* and I see nothing that
may assuage the grief which  drieth up  my faculties,
although I were to obtain a kingdom without a rival
upon earth, or dominion over the hosts of heaven."
Arjoon having thus spoken to Kreeshna, and declared that he would not fight, was silent. Kreeshna
smiling, addressed the afflicted prince, standing in the
midst of the two armies, in the following words:
KREESHNA.
Thou grievest for those who are unworthy to be lamented, whilst thy sentiments are those of the wise
men.t  The wise neither grieve for the dead nor for the
living. I myself never was not, nor thou, nor all the
princes of the earth; nor shall we ever hereafter cease
to be.  As the soul in this mortal frame findeth infancy,
youth, and old age; so, in some future frame, will it
find the like. One who is confirmed in this belief, is
not disturbed by anything that may come to pass. The
sensibility of the faculties giveth heat and cold, pleasure
and pain; which come and go, and are transient and inconstant. Bear them with patience, O son of Bharat;
for the wise man, whom these disturb not, and to whom
pain and pleasure are the same, is formed for immor* By the dictates of my duty. —l he duty of a soldier in oi position to the
dictates of the general moral duties.
t The wise men -Pandeets, or expounders of the law; or in a more gen.
eral sense, such as by meditation have attained that degree of perfection
which is callekd Gnan, or inspired wisdom




NATURE OF THE SOUL.               35
tality. A thing imaginary hath no existence, whilst
that-which is true is a stranger to non-entity. By
those who look into the principles of things, the design
of each is seen. Learn that he by whom all things
were formed is incorruptible, and that no one is able to
effect the destruction of this thing which is inexhaustible. These bodies, which envelope the souls which inhabit them, which are eternal, incorruptible, and surpassing all conception, are declared to be finite beings;
wherefore, 0 Arjoon, resolve to fight. The man who
believeth that it is the soul which killeth, and he who
thinketh that the soul may be destroyed, are both alike
deceived; for it neither killeth, nor is it killed.  It is
not a thing of which a man may say, it hath been, it is
about to be, or is to be hereafter; for it is a thing without birth; it is ancient, constant, and eternal, and is
not to be destroyed in this its mortal frame.  How can
the man, who believeth that this thing is incorruptible,
eternal, inexhaustible, and without birth, think that he
can either kill or cause it to be killed? As a man
throweth away old garments, and putteth on new, even
so the soul, having quitted its old mortal frames, enteed into others which are new.  The weapon divideth
it not, the fire burneth it not, the water corrupteth it
not, the wind drieth it not away; for it is indivisible,
inconsumable, incorruptible, and is not to be dried away;
it is eternal, universal, permanent, immovable; it is invisible, inconceivable, and unalterable; therefore, believing it to be thus, thou shouldst not grieve.  But
whether thou believest it of eternal birth and duration,
or that it dieth with the body, still thou hast no cause
to lament it. Death is certain to all things which are




36            NATURg OF THE SOUL.
subject to birth, and regeneration to all things which
are mortal; wherefore it doth not behove thee to
grieve about that which is inevitable. The former state
of beings is unknown; the middle state is evident, and
their future state is not to be discovered. Why, then,
shouldst thou trouble thyself about such things as these?
Some regard the soul as a wonder, whilst some speak,
and others hear of it with astonishment; but no one
knoweth'it, although he may have heard it described.
This spirit being never to be destroyed in the mortal
frame which it inhabiteth, it is unworthy for thee to be
troubled for all these mortals.  Cast but thy'eyes
towards the duties of thy particular tribe, and it will
ill become thee to tremble.- A soldier of the Kshatree
tribe hath no duty superior -to fighting. Just to thy
wish the door of heaven is found open before thee.
Such soldiers only as are the favorites of heaven obtain
such a glorious fight as this. But, if thou wilt not perform the duty of thy calling, and fight out the field,
thou wilt abandon thy duty and thy honor, and be
guilty of a crime. Mankind speak of thy renown as
infinite and inexhaustible. The fame of one who hath
been respected in the world, is extended even beyond
the dissolution of the body.'The generals of the armies
will think that thy retirement from the field arose from
fear, and thou wilt become despicable, even amongst
those by whom th'ou wert wont to be respected. Thy
enemies will speak of thee in words which are unworthy
to be spoken, and depreciate thy courage and abilities:
what can be more dreadful than this? If thou art slain,
thou wilt obtain heaven; if thou art victorious, thou
wilt enjoy a world for thy reward; wherefore, son of




NATURE OF- THE SOUL.                           37
Koontee, arise and be determined for the battle. Make
pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory- and defeat,
the same, and then prepare for battle; or if thou dost
not, thou wilt be  criminal in a  high  degree.   Let thy
reason be thus applied in the field of battle.
This thy  judgment  is formed  upon  the  speculative
doctrines of the Sankhya sastra; hear what it is in the
practical, with which being endued thou shalt forsake
the bonds of action.* A very small portion of this
duty delivereth a man from great fear. In this there
is but one judgment; but that is of a definite nature,
whilst the judgments of those of indefinite principles are
infinite and of many branches.
Men of confined notions, delighting  in the controversies of the Veds, tainted with worldly lusts, and preferring a transient enjoyment of heaven to eternal absorption, whilst they declare there is no other reward,
pronounce, for the attainment of worldly riches and enjoyments, flowery sentences, ordaining innumerable and
manifold ceremonies, and promising rewards for the
actions of this life. The determined judgment of such
as are attached to riches and enjoyment, and whose
reason is led astray by this doctrine, is not formed upon
mature consideration and meditation. The objects of
the Veds are of a threefold nature.t Be thou free
*The bonds of action.-The Hindoos believe that every action of the body,
whether good or evil, confineth the soul to mortal birth; and that an eternal release, which they call Mooktee, is only to be attained by a total neglect of all sub.
lunary things, or, which is the same thing according to - the doctrine of Kreeshna,
the abandonment of all hopes of the reward of our actions; for such reward, they
say, can only be a shbort enjoyment of a plaee in heaven, which they call Swarg;
because DO man can, merely by his actions, attain perfection, owing to the mixture
of good and evil which is implanted in his constitution.
t Tbe objects of the Veds are of a threefold nature.-The commentators do not
agree with respect to the signification of this passage'; but, as the Veds teach three
distinct systems of religion, it is probable that it refers to this circumstance.




38                   NATURE OF THE SOUL.
from a threefold nature; be free from duplicity, and
stand firm in the path of truth; be free from care and
trouble, and turn thy mind to things which are spiritual.
The knowing divine findeth as many uses in the whole
Veds collectively, as in a reservoir full flowing with
water.
Let the motive be in the deed, and not in the event.
Be not one whose motive for action is the h6pe of reward. Let not thy life be spent in inaction. Depend
upon application, perform thy duty, abandon all thought
of the consequence, and make the event equal, whether
it terminate  in  good  or  evil;  for such an  equality is
called Yog.* The action stands at a distance inferior
to the application of wisdom. Seek an asylum, then,
in wisdomt alone; for the miserable and unhappy are
so on account of the event of things. Men who are
endued with true wisdom are unmindful of good or evil
in this world.   Study, then, to  obtain  this  application
of thy understanding, for such application in business
is a precious art.
Wise men, who have abandoned all thought of the
fruit which is produced from their actions, are freed
from the chains of birth, and go to the regions of eternal
happiness.
* Yog.-There is no word in the Sanskreet language that will bear so many interpretations as this  Its first signification isjunction or union. It is also used for
bodily or men! al application; but. in this work it is ge nerally used as a theological
term, to express the application of the mind in spiritual things, and the performance of religious ceremonies. The word Yogee, a devout man, is one of its derivatives. If the word devotion be confined to the performance of religious duties,
and a contempla'ion of the Deity, it will generally Ferve to express the sense of.he ( riginal; as will devout and devoted for its derivatives.
t Wisdom.-Wherever the word wisdom is used in this Translation, is to be
understood inspired wisdom, or a knowledge of the Divine Nature. The original
word is Gnan, or as it is written Inan.




NATURE OF THE SOUL.              39
When thy reason shall get the better of the gloomy
weakness of thy heart, then shalt thou have attained all
knowledge which hath been or is worthy to be taught.
When thy understanding, by study brought to maturity,
shall be fixed immovably in contemplation, then shall
it obtain true wisdom."
ARJOON.
What, 0 Kreeshna, is the distinction of that wise and
steady man who is fixed in contemplation? What may
such a sage declare? Where may he dwell? How
may he act?
KREESHNA.
A man is said to be confirmed in wisdom, when he
forsaketh every desire which entereth into his heart,
and of himself is happy, and contented in himself. His
mind is undisturbed in adversity, he is happy and contented in prosperity, and he is a stranger to anxiety,
fear, and anger. Such a wise man is called a Moonee.
The wisdom of that man is established, who in all things
is without affection; and, having received good or evil,
neither rejoiceth at the one, nor is cast down by the
other. His wisdom is confirmed, when, like the tortoise, he can draw in all his members, and restrain them
from their wonted purposes. The hungry man loseth
every other object but the gratification of his appetite,
and when he is become acquainted with the Supreme,
he loseth even that. The tumultuous senses hurry
away, by force, the heart even of the wise man who
striveth to restrain them. The inspired man, trusting
in me, may quell them and be happy. The man who
bath his passions in subjection, is possessed of true
wisdom.




40             NATURE OF THE SOUL.
The man who attendeth to the inclinations of the
senses, in them hath a concern; from this concern is
created passion, from passion anger, from anger is produced folly,* from folly a depravation of the memory,
from the loss of memory the loss of reason, and'from
the loss of reason the loss of all! A man of a governable mind, enjoying the objects of his senses, with all
his faculties rendered obedient to his will, and freed
from pride and malice, obtaineth happiness supreme.
In this happiness is born to him an exemption from all
his troubles; and his mind being thus at ease, wisdom
presently floweth to him from all sides. The man who
attendeth not to this, is,without wisdom or the power
of contemplation. The man who is incapable of thinking, hath no rest. What happiness can he enjoy who
hath no rest? The heart, which followeth the dictates
of the moving passions, carrieth away his reason, as the
storm the bark in the raging ocean. The man, therefore, who can restrain all his passions from their inordinate desires, is endued with true wisdom. Such
a one walketh but in that night when all things go
to rest, the night of time. The contemplative Moonee sleepeth but in the day of time, when all things
wake.
The man whose passions enter.his heart as waters
run into the unswelling passive ocean, obtaineth happiness; not he who lusteth in his lusts. The man who,
having abandoned all lusts of the flesh, walketh without
inordinate desires, unassuming, and free from pride,
* Foly-In the original Moha, which signifies an embarrassment of the faculties,
arising from the attendant qualities of the principles of organized matter.




NATURE OF THE SOUL.             41
o]taineth happiness. This is divine dependence. A
man being possessed of this confidence in the Supreme,
goeth not astray: even at the hour of death, should
he attain it, he shall mix with the incorporeal naturR
of Brahm.




LECTURE III.
OF WORKS.
ARJOON.
IF, according to thy opinion, the use of the understanding be superior to the practice of deeds,* why,
then, dost thou urge me to engage in an undertaking
so dreadful as this?  Thou, as it were, confoundest my
reason with a mixture of sentiments; wherefore choose
one amongst them, by which I may obtain happiness,
and explain it unto me.
KREESHNA
It hath before been observed by me, that in this world
there are two institutes: That of those who follow the
Sankhya, or speculative science, which is the exercise
of reason in contemplation; and the practical, or exercise of the moral and religious duties.
The man enjoyeth not freedom from action, from the
non-commencement of that which he hath to do; nor
doth he obtain happiness from a total inactivity. No
one ever resteth a moment inactive. Every man is involuntarily urged to act by those principles which are
inherent in his nature. The man who restraineth his
active faculties, and siltteth down with his mind attentive to the objects of his senses, is called one of an astrayed soul, and the practiser of deceit.  So the man
* The practice of deeds. —The performance of re'igious ceremonies and moral
duties, called Karma-Yog.




OF WORKS.                   43
is praised, who, having subdued all his passions, performeth with his active faculties all the functions of life,
unconcerned  about the event.  Perform  the settled
functions: action is preferable to inaction. The journey
of thy mortal frame may not succeed from inaction.
This busy world is engaged from other motives than the
worship of the Deity. Abandon, then, 0 son of Koontee, all selfish motives, and perform thy duty for him
alone.
When in ancient days Brahma,* the lord of the creation, had formed mankind, and, at the same time, appointed his worship, he spoke and said: " With this
"worship pray for increase, and let it be that on which
"ye shall depend for the accomplishment of all your
"wishes. With this remember the Gods, that the
"Gods may remember you. Remember one another,
"and ye shall obtain supreme happiness.  The Gods
"being remembered in worship, will grant you the en"joyment of your wishes. He who enjoyeth what hath
" been given unto him by them, and offereth not a por"tion unto them, is even as a thief.  Those who eat
" not but what is left of the offerings, shall be purified
"of all their transgressions.  Those who dress their
"meat but for themselves, eat the bread of sin. All
"things which have life are generated from the bread
"which they eat. Bread is generated from rain; rain
"from  divine worship, and divine worship from good
"works. Know that good works come from Brahm,
"whose nature is incorruptible; wherefore the omni"present Brahm is present in the worship."
The sinful mortal, who delighteth in the gratification
* Brahma.-The Deity in his creative qual'ity




44                   OF WORKTS.
of his passions, and followeth not the wheel, thus revolving in the world, liveth but in vain.
But the man who may be self-delighted and self-satisfied, and who may be happy in his own soul, hath no
occasion.* He hath no interest either in that which is
done, or that which is not done; and there is not, in all
things which have been creaged, any object on which he
may place dependence. Wherefore, perform thou that
which thou hast to do, at all times, unmindful of the
event; for the man that doeth that which he hath to do,
without affection, obtaineth the Supreme.
Ianaka and others have attained perfectiont even by
works. Thou shouldst also observe what is the practice of mankind, and act accordingly. The man of low
degree followeth the example of him who is above him,
and doeth that which he doeth. I myself, Arjoon, have
not, in the three regi6ns of the universe, anything which
is necessary for me to perform, nor anything to obtain
which is not obtained; and yet I live in the exercise of
the moral duties.  If I were not vigilantly to attend to
these duties, all men would presently follow my example.
If I were not to perform  the moral adtions, this world
would fail in their duty; I should be the cause of spurjous births, and should drive the people from the right
way. As the ignorant perform the duties of life from
the hope of reward, so the wise man, out of respect to
the opinions and prejudices of mankind, should perform
the same without motives of interest.  He should not
create a division in the understandings of the ignorant,
* Hath no occasion. -B-ath no occasion to perform the ceremonial parts of religion.
t Attained perfection.-That degree of perfection which is necessary to salvation.




OF WORKS.                   45
who are inclined to outward works.  The learned man,
by industriously performing all the duties of life, should
induce the vulgar to attend to them.
The man whose mind is led astray by the pride of
self-sufficiency, thinketh that he himself is the executor
of all those actions which are performed by the principles of his constitution. But the man who is acquainted
with the nature of the two distinctions of cause and
effect, having considered that principles will act according to their natures, giveth himself no trouble. Men
who are led astray by the principles of their natures,
are interested in the works of the faculties. The man
who is acquainted with the whole, should not drive
those-from their works who are slow of comprehension,
and less experienced than himself.
Throw every deed on me, and with a heart, over
which the soul presideth, be free from  hope, be unpresuming, be free from trouble, and resolve to fight.
Those who, with a firm belief, and without reproach,
shall constantly follow this my doctrine, shall Ke saved
even by works; and know that those who, holding it in
contempt, follow not this my counsel, are astrayed from
all wisdom, deprived of reason, and are lost.
But the wise man also seeketh for that which is homogeneous to his own nature. All things act according to
their natures, what, then, will restraint effect?  In
every purpose of the senses are fixed affection and dislike. A  wise man should not put himself in their
power, for both of them are his opponents. A man's
own religion, though contrary to, is better than the
faith of another, let it be ever so well followed. It is




46                     OF WORKS.
good to die in one's own faith, for another's faith
beareth fear.
ARJOON.
By what, 0 Kreeshna, is man compelled to commit
offences? He seems -as if, contrary to his wishes, he
was impelled by some secret force.
KREESHNA.
Know that it is the enemy lust, or passion, offspring
of the carnal principle, insatiable and full of sin, by
which this world is covered as the flame by the smoke,
as the mirror by rust, or as the foetus by its membrane.
The understanding of the wise man is obscured by this
inveterate foe, in the shape of desire,* who rageth like
fire, and is hard to be appeased. It is said that the
senses, the heart, and the understanding are the places
where he delighteth most to rule. By the assistance of
these he overwhelmeth reason, and stupefieth the soul.
Thou shouldst, therefore, first subdue thy passions, and
get the better of this sinful destroyer ot wisdom and
knowledge.
The organs are esteemed great, but the mind is
greater than they.  The resolutiont is greater than the
mind, and who is superior to the  resolution is he..
When thou hast resolved what is superior to the resolution, and fixed thyself by thyself, determine to abandon
the enemy in the shape ot desire, whose objects are
hard to be accomplished.
* Desire. —The will, as presiding over the organs, the heart and the unders'anding.
t The resolution.-In this place resolution means the power of distinguishing
the truth of a proposition: the understanding.
t He. The soul, or universal spirit, of which the vital soul is supposed to be a
portion




LECTURE IV.
OF THE FORSAKING OF WORKS.
KREESHNA.
THIS never-failing discipline I formerly taught unto
Veevaswat, and Veevaswat communicated it to Manoo,_
and Maiioo made it known unto Eekshwakoo; and being
delivered down from one unto another, it was studied
by the Rajarshees; until at length, in the course of
time, the mighty art was lost. It is even the same discipline which I have this day communicated unto thee,
because thou art my servant and my friend. It is an
ancient and a supreme mystery.
ARJOON.
Seeing thy birth is posterior to the life of Eekshwakoo, how am I to understand that thou hadst been
formerly the teacher of this doctrine?
KREESHNA.
Both I and thou have passed many births. Mine are
known unto me; but thou knowest not of thine.
Although I am not in my nature subject to birth or
decay, and am the lord of all created beings; yet, having command over my own nature, I am made evident
by my own power; and, as often as there is a decline of
virtue, and an insurrection of vice and injustice, in the
world, I make myself evident; and thus I appear, from
age to age, for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked. and the establishment of virtue.




48          OF THE FORSAKING OF WORKS.
He, 0 Arjoon, who, from conviction, acknowledgeth
my divine birth and actions to be even so, doth not,
upon his quitting his mortal frame, enter into another,
for he entereth into me. Many who were free from
affection, fear, and anger, and, filled with my spirit,
depended upon me, having been purified by the power
of wisdom, have entered into me.  I assist those men
who in all things walk in my path, even as they
serve me.
Those who wish for success to their works in this life,
worship the Devatas.*  That which is achieved in this
life, from works, speedily cometh to pass.
Mankind was created by me of four kinds, distinct in
their principles, and in their duties. Know me, then,
to be the creator of mankind, uncreated, and without
decay.
Works affect not me, nor have I any expectations
from the fruits of works.  He who believeth me to be
even so, is not bound by works.  The ancients, who
longed for eternal salvation, having discovered this, still
performed works. Wherefore perform thou works, even
as they were performed by the ancients in former times.
The learned even are puzzled. to determine what is work,
and what is not.  I will tell thee what that work is, by
knowing which thou wilt be delivered from misfortune.
It may be defined-action, improper action, and inaction. The path of action is full of darkness.
He who may behold, as' it were, inaction in action,
* Worship the Devatas.-The word Devata is synonymous with Dev, Dew, or
Deb, as It is sometimes pronounced. The Angels, or subordinate celestial beings;
all the attributes of the Deity; and everything in heaven and earth which has been
personified by the imagination of the poe s.




OF THE FORSAKING OF WORKS.           49
and action in inaction, is wise amongst mankind. He
is a perfect performer of all duty.
Wise men call him a Pandeet, whose every undertaking is free from the idea of desire, and- whose actions
are consumed by the fire of wisdom. He abandoneth
the desire of a reward of his actions; he is always contented and independent; and, although he may be engaged in a work, he, as it were, doeth nothing. He
is unsolicitous, of a subdued mind and spirit, and exempt
from every perception; and, as be doeth only the offices
of the body, he committeth no offence. He is pleased
with whatever he may by chance obtain; he hath gotten
the better of duplicity, and he is free from envy. He
is the same in prosperity and adversity; and, although
he acteth, he is not confined in the action. The work
of him, who hath lost all anxiety for the event, who is
freed from the bonds of action, and standeth with his
mind subdued by spiritual wisdom, and who performeth
it for the sake of worship, cometh altogether unto nothing.  God is the gift of charity; God is the offering;
God is in the fire of the altar; by God is the sacrifice
performed; and God is to be obtained by him who
maketh God alone the object of his works.
Some of the devout attend to the worship of the Devatas, or angels; others, with offerings, direct their
worship unto God in the fire; others sacrifice their ears,
and other organs, in the fire of constraint; whilst some
sacrifice sound, and the like, in the fire of their organs.
Some again sacrifice the actions of all their organs and
faculties in the fire of self-constraint, lighted up by the
spark of inspired wisdom. There are also the worshippers with offerings, and the worshippers with mortifica



50. OF THE FORSAKING OF WORKS.
tions; and again the worshippers with enthusiastic devotion; so there are those, the wisdom of whose reading
is their worship, men of subdued passions and severe
manners. Some there are who sacrifice their breathing
spirit, and force it downwards from its natural course;
whilst others force the spirit which is below back with
the breath; and a few, with whom  these two faculties
are held in great esteem, close up the door of each; and
there are some, who eat but by rule, who sacrifice their
lives in their lives. All these different kinds of worshippers are, by their particular modes of worship, purified from  their offences.  He who  enjoyeth but the
Amreeta which is left of his offerings, obtaineth the
eternal spirit of Brahm, the supreme. This world is
not for him   who doeth not worship; and where, O
Arjoon, is there another?*
A great variety of modes of worship like these are
displayed in the mouth of God. Learn that they are
all the offsprings of action. Being convinced of this,
thou shalt obtain an eternal release; for know that the
worship of spiritual wisdom is far better than the worship with offerings of things. In wisdom is to be found
every work without exbeption. Seek, then, this wisdom
with prostrations, with questions, and with attention,
that those learned men who see its principles may instruct thee in its rules; which having learnt, thou shalt
not again, 0 son of Pandoo, fall into folly; by which
thou shall behold all nature in the spirit; that is, in
me.t  Although thou wert the greatest of all offenders,
* And where, 0 Arjoon, is there another?-fit for him is understood. The sentence would perhaps real better in this form: " He who neglecteth the duties of
life is not for this world, much less for that which is above." But the other translation is literally correct.
t In me.-In the Deity, who is the universal spirit.




OF THE FORSAKING OF WORKS.             51
thou shall be able to cross the gulf of sin with the bark
of wisdom. As the natural fire, 0 Arjoon, reduceth
the wood to ashes, so may the fire of wisdom reduce all
moral actions to ashes. There is not anything in this
world to be compared with wisdom for purity. He who
is perfected by practice, in due time findeth it in his
own soul. He who hath faith findeth wisdom; and,
above all, he who hath gotten the better of his passions;
and, having obtained this spiritual wisdom, he shortly
enjoyeth superior happiness; whilst the ignorant, and
the man without faith, whose spirit is full of doubt, is
lost. Neither this world, nor that which is above, nor
happiness, can be enjoyed by the man of a doubting
mind.  The human actions have no power to confine*
the spiritual mind, which, by study, hath forsaken
works, and which, by wisdom, hath cut asunder the
bonds of doubt. Wherefore, O son of Bharat, resolve
to cut asunder this doubt, offspring of ignorance, which
hath taken possession of thy mind, with the edge of the
wisdom of thy own soul, and arise and attach thyself to
the discipline.
* Have no power to confine.-Have no power to confine the soul to mortal birth.




LECTURE V.
OF FORSAKING THE FRUITS OF WORKS.
ARJOON.
THOU now speakest, 0 Kreeshna, of the forsaking
of works, and now again of performing them. Tell me
positively which of the two~ is best.
KREESHNA.
Both the desertion and the practice of works are
equally the means of extreme happiness; but of the two
the practice of works is to be distinguished above the
desertion. The perpetual recluse, who neither longeth
nor complaineth, is worthy to be known. Such a one
is free from duplicity, and is happily freed from the
bond of action. Children only, and not the learned,
speak of the speculative and the practical doctrines as
two. They are but one, for both obtain the self-same
end, and the place which is gained by the followers of
the one, is gained by the followers of the other. That
man seeth, who seeth that the speculative doctrines and
the practical are but one. To be a Sannyasee, or recluse, without application, is to obtain pain and trouble;
whilst the Monee, who is employed in the practice of his
duty, presently obtaineth Brahm, the Almighty. The
man who, employed in the practice of works, is of a
purified soul, a subdued spirit, and restrained passions,
and whose soul is the universal soul, is not affected by
so being. The attentive man, who is acquainted with




OF FORSAKING THf  fTUdITS OF WORKS.              53
the principles of things, in seeing, hearing, touching,
smelling, eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, talking,
quitting, taking, opening and closing his eyes, thinketh
that he doeth nothing; but that the faculties are only
employed in their several objects. The man who, performing the duties of life, and quitting all interest in
them, placeth them upon Brahm, the Supreme, is not
tainted by sin; but remaineth like the leaf of the lotus
unaffected by the waters. Practical men, who perform
the offices of life but with their bodies, their minds, their
understandings, and their senses, and forsake the consequence for the purification of their souls; and,
although employed, forsake the fruit of action, obtain
infinite happiness; whilst the man who is unemployed,
being attached to the fruit by the agent desire, is in
the bonds of confinement. The man who hath his passions in subjection, and with his mind forsaketh all
works, his soul sitteth at rest in the nine-gate city of
its abode,* neither acting nor causing to act.
The Almighty createth neither the powers nor the
deeds of mankind,t nor the application of the fruits of
action: nature prevaileth. The Almighty receiveth
neither the vices nor the virtues of anyone. Mankind
are led astray by their reasons being obscured by ignorance; but when that ignorance of their souls is destroyed by the force of reason, their wisdom shineth
forth again with the glory of the sun, and causeth the
Deity to appear. Those whose understandings are in
* In the nine gate city of its abode.-The body, as furnished with nine passages
for the action of the faculties: the eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
t The powers nor the deeds of mankind.-To understand this, and many similar
passages, it is necessary to be apprized that the Hindoos believe that all our aclions, whether good or evil, arise from the inherent qualities of the principles of
our constitution.




54    OF FORSAKING THE FRUITS OF WORKS.
him, whose souls are in him, whose confidence is in him,
and whose asylum is in him, are by wisdom purified
from all their offences, and go from whence they shall
never return.
The learned behold him alike in the reverend Brahman perfected in knowledge, in the ox, and in the elephant; in the dog, and in him who eateth of the flesh
of dogs. Those whose minds are fixed on this quality,
gain eternity even in this world. They put their trust
in Brahm, the Eternal, because he is ev.erywhere alike,
free from fault.
The man who knoweth Brahm, and confideth in
Brahm, and whose mind is steady and free from folly,
should neither rejoice in prosperity, nor complain in
adversity. H~ e whose soul is unaffected by the impressions made upon the outward feelings, obtaineth what is
pleasure in his own mind. Such an one, whose soul is
thus fixed upon the study of Brahm, enjoyeth pleasure
without decline. The enjoyments which proceed from
the feelings are as the wombs of future pain. The wise
man, who is acquainted with the beginning and the end
of things, delighteth not in these. HIe who can bear up
against the violence which is produced from lust and
anger in this mortal life, is properly employed and a
happy man. The man who is happy in his heart, at
rest in his mind, and enlightened within, is a Yogee, or
one devoted to God, and of a godly spirit; and obtaineth
the immaterial nature of Brahm, the Supreme. Such
Reeshees as are purified from their offences, freed from
doubt, of subdued minds, and interested in the good of
all mankind, obtain the incorporeal Brahm. The incorporeal Brahm is prepared, from the beginning, for




OF FORSAKING THE FRUITS OF WORKS.    55
such as are free from lust and anger, of humble minds
and subdued spirits, and who are acquainted with their
own souls.
The man who keepeth the outward accidents from
entering his mind, and his eyes fixed in contemplation
between his brows; who maketh the breath to pass
through both his nostrils alike in expiration and inspiration; who is of subdued faculties, mind, and understanding, and hath set his heart upon salvation; and
who is free from lust, fear, and anger, is forever blessed
in this life; and, being convinced that I am the cherisher
of religious zeal, the lord of all worlds, and the friend
of all nature, he shall obtain me and be blessed.




LECTURE VI
OF THE EXERCISE OF SOUL.
KREESHNA.
HE is both a Yogee and a Sannyasee who performeth
that which he hath to do independent of the fruit
thereof; not he who liveth without the sacrificial fire
and without action. Learn, 0 son of Pandoo, that
what they call Sannyas, or a forsaking of the world.'s
the same with Yog or the practice of devotion. He
cannot be a Yogee, who, in his actions, hath not abandoned all intentions. Works are said to be the means
by which a man who wisheth, may attain devotion; so
rest is called the means for him who hath attained devotion. When the all-contemplative Sannyasee is not
engaged in the objects of the senses, nor in works, then
he is called one who hath attained devotion. He should
raise himself by himself: he should not suffer his soul to
be depressed. Self is the friend of self; and, in like
manner, self -i  its own enemy.  Self is the friend of
him by whom the spirit is subdued with the spirit; so
self, like a foe, delighteth in the enmity of him who hath
no soul. The soul -of the placid conquered spirit
is the same collected in heat and cold, in pain and
pleasure, in honor and disgrace. The man whose mind
is replete with divine wisdom and learning, who standeth
upon the pinnacle, and hath subdued his passions, is
said to be devout. To the Yogee, gold, iron, and stones,




OF THE EXERCISE OF SOUL.           57
are the same. The man is distinguished whose resolutions, whether amongst his companions and friends; in
the midst of enemies, or those who stand aloof or go
between; with those who love and those who hate: in
the company of saints or sinners, is the same.
The Yogee constantly exerciseth the spirit in private.
He is recluse, of a subdued mind and spirit; free from
hope, and free from perception. He planteth his own
seat firmly on a spot that is undefiled, neither too high
nor too low, and sitteth upon the sacred grass which is
called Koos, covered with a skin and a cloth. There
he, whose business is the restraining of his passions,
should sit, with his mind fixed on one object alone, in
the exercise of his devotion for the purification of his
soul, keeping his head, his neck, and body, steady without motion, his eyes fixed on the point of his nose, looking at no other place around. The peaceful soul, released from fear, who would keep in the path of one
who followeth God, should restrain the mind, and,; fixing it on me, depend on me alone.  The Yogee of an
humbled mind, who thus constantly exerciseth his soul,
obtaineth happiness incorporeal and supreme in me.
This divine discipline, Arjoon, is not to be attained
by him who eateth more than enough, or less than
enough; neither by him who hath a habit of sleeping
much, nor by him who sleepeth not at all. The discipline which destroyeth pain belongeth to him who is
moderate in eating and in recreation, whose inclinations
are moderate in action, and who is moderate in sleep.
A man is called devout when his mind remaineth thus
regulated within himself, and he is exempt from every
lust and inordinate desire.  The Yogee of a subdued




58          OF THE EXERCISE OF SOUL.
mind, thus employed in the exercise of his devotion, is
compared to a lamp, standing in a place without wind,
which waveth not. He delighteth in his own soul,
where the mind, regulated by the service of devotion, is
pleased to dwell, and where, by.the assistance of the
spirit, he beholdeth the soul. He becometh acquainted
with that boundless pleasure which is far more worthy
of the understanding than that which ariseth from the
senses; depending upon which, the mind moveth not
from its principles; which having obtained, he respecteth no other acquisition so great as it; in which
depending, he is not moved by the severest pain. This
disunion from the conjunction of pain may be distinguished by the appellation Yog, spiritual union or devotion. It is to be attained by resolution, by the man
who knoweth his own mind. When he hath abandoned
every desire that ariseth from the imagination, and subdued with his mind every inclination of the senses, he
may, by degrees, find rest; and having, by a steady
resolution, fixed his mind within himself, he should
think of nothing else. Wheresoever the unsteady mind
roameth, he should subdue it, bring it back, and place
it in his own breast. Supreme happiness attendeth the
man whose mind is thus at peace; whose carnal affections and passions are thus subdued; who is thus in
God, and free from sin. The man who is thus constantly in the exercise of the soul, and free from sin,
enjoyeth eternal happiness, united with Brahm, the
Supreme. The man whose mind is endued with this
devotion, and looketh on all things alike, beholdeth the
supreme soul in all things, and all things in the supreme
soul. He who beholdeth me in all things, and be



OF TIHE EXERCISE OF SOUL.          59
holdeth all things in me, I forsake not him, and he forsaketh not me. The Yogee who believeth in unity, and
worshippeth me present in all things, dwelleth in me in
all.respects, even whilst he liveth. The man, O Arjoon,
who, from what passeth in his own breast, whether it be
pain or pleasure, beholdeth the same in others, is
esteemed a supreme Yogee.
ARJOON.
From the restlessness of our natures, I conceive not
the permanent duration of this doctrine of equality
which thou hast told me. The mind, 0 Kreeshna, is
naturally unsteady, turbulent, strong, and stubborn. I
esteem it as difficult to restrain as the wind.
KREESHNA.
The mind, 0 valiant youth, is undoubtedly unsteady,
and difficult to be confined; yet, I think it may be restrained by practice and temperance. In my opinion,
this divine discipline which is called Yog is hard to be
attained by him who hath not his soul in subjection;
but it may be acquired by him who taketh pains, and
hath his soul in his own power.
ARJOON.
Whither, O Kreeshna, doth the man go after death,
who, although he be endued with faith, hath not obtained perfection in his devotion, because his unsubdued mind wandered from the discipline?  Doth not
the fool who is found not standing in the path of Brahm,
and is thus, as it were, fallen between good and evil,
like a broken cloud, come to nothing? Thou, Kreeshna,
canst entirely clear up these my doubts; and there is
no other person to be found able to remove these
difficulties.




60           OF THE EXERCTSE OF SOUL.
KREESHNA.
His destruction is found neither here nor in the world
above.  No man who hath done good goeth unto an
evil place. A man whose devotions have been broken
off by death, having enjoyed for an immensity of years
the rewards of his virtues in the regions above, at length
is born again in some holy and respectable family; or
perhaps in the house of some learned Yogee. But such
a regeneration into this life is the most difficult to attain. Being thus born again, he is endued with the
same degree of application and advancement of his understanding that he held in his former body; and here
he begins again to labor for perfection in devotion.
The man* who is desirous of learning this devotion,
this spiritual application of the soul, exceedeth even'the
word of Brahm. The Yogee, who, laboring with all his
might, is purified of his offences, and, after many births,
made perfect, at length goeth to the supreme abode.
The Yogee is more exalted than Tapaswees, those zealots who harass themselves in performing penances, respected above the learned in science, and superior to
those who are attached to moral works; wherefore, 0
Arjoon, resolve thou  to become a Yogee.  Of all
Yogees, I respect him  as the most devout, who hath
faith in me, and who serveth me with a soul possessed
of my spirit.
* The man, etc.- i. e. That the desire of becoming a devout man is equal to the
study of the Veds




LECTURE VII.
OF THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE, AND THE
VITAL SPIRIT.
KREESHNA.
HEAR, 0 Arjoon, how having thy mind attached to
me, being in the exercise of devotion, and making me
alone thy asylum, thou wilt, at once, and without doubt,
become acquainted with me. I will instruct thee in
this wisdom and learning without reserve; which having
learnt, there is not in this life any other that is taught
worthy to be known..A few amongst ten thousand mortals strive for perfection; and but a few of those who strive and become
perfect, know me according to my nature. My principle is divided into eight distinctions: earth, water,
fire, air, and sether (Khang); together with mind, understanding, and Ahang-kar, (self-consciousness): but
besides this, know that I have another principle distinct
from this, and superior, which is of a vital nature,* and
by which this world is supported. Learn that these
two are the womb of all nature. I am the creation and
the dissolution of the whole universe. There is not anything greater than I; and all things hang on me, even
as precious gems upon a string. I am moisture in the
water, light in the sun and moon, invocation in -the
Veds, found in the firmament, human nature in man* Of a vital nature.-The vital soul. 1. Learn that these two. —Matter anal
spirit.




62          THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE.
kind, sweet-smelling favor in the earth, glory in the
source of light; in all things I am life, and I am zeal
in the zealous; and know, O Arjoon, that I am  the
eternal seed of all nature.  I am the understanding of
-the wise, the glory of the proud, the strength of the
strong, free from lust and anger; and in animals I am
desire regulated by moral fitness. But know that I am
not in those natures which are of the three qualities
called Satwa, Raja, and Tama,* although they procee.d
from me: yet they are in me. The whole of this world
being bewildered by the influence of these three-fold
qualities, knoweth not that I am distinct from these
and without decline. This my divine and supernatural
power, endued with these principles and properties, is
hard to be overcome. They who come unto me get the
better of this supernatural influence.  The wicked, the
foolish, and the low-minded come not unto me, because
their understandings, being bewildered by the supernatural power, they trust in the principles of evil
spirits.
I am, O Arjoon, served by four kinds of people who
are good: the distressed, the inquisitive, the wishers
after wealth,t and the wise. But of all these the wise
man, who is constantly engaged in my service, and is a
servant but of one, is the most distinguished. I am
extremely dear to the wise man, and he is dear unto
me. All these are exalted; but I esteem the wise man
even as myself, because his devout spirit dependeth
upon me alone as his ultimate resource. The wise man
* Satwa, Raja, Tama.-Truth, passion, darkness; or, as the words are sometimes used, white, red, black.
t The wishers after wealth.-Such as pray for worldly endowments.




THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE.            63
proceedeth not unto me until after many births; for
the exalted mind, who believeth that the son of Vasoodev is all, is hard to be found. Those whose understandings are drawn away by this and that pursuit, go
unto other Devatas. They depend upon this and that
rule of conduct, and are governed by their own principles.* Whatever image any supplicant is desirous of
worshipping in faith, it is I alone who inspire him with
that steady faith; with which being endued, he endeavoreth to render that image propitious, and at length he
obtaineth the object of his wishes as it is appointed by
me. But the reward of such short-sighted men is finite.
Those who worship the Devatas go unto them, and those
who worship me alone go unto me. The ignorant, being
unacquainted with my supreme nature, which is superior to all things, and exempt from  decay, believe
me, who am invisible, to exist in the visible form under
which they see me. I am not visible to all, because I
am concealed by the supernatural power that is in me.
The ignorant world do not discover this, that I am not
subject to birth or decay. I know, O Aljoon, all the
beings that have passed, all that are present, and all
that shall hereafter be; but there is not one amongst
them who knoweth me. All beings in birth find their
reason fascinated and perplexed by the wiles of contrary sensations, arising from love and hatred. Those
men of regular lives, whose sins are done away, being
freed from the fascination arising from those contending passions, enjoy me. They who put their trust in
* And are governed by their own principles.-By'the three ruling qualities
already explained,




64         THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE.
me, and labor for a deliverance from decay and death,
know Brahm, the whole Adhee-atma, and every Karma.
The devout souls who know me to be the Adhee-bhoot,
the Adhee-diva, and the Adhee-yagna, know me also
in the time of their departure.




LECTURE VIII.
OF POOROOSH.
ARJOON.
WHAT is that Brahm? What is Adhee-atma?
What is Karma, 0 first of men? What also is Adheebhoot called?  What Adhee-diva?  HIow is Adheeyagna, and who is here in this body? I-Iow art thou
to be known in the hour of departure by men of subdued minds?
KREESHNA.
Brahm is that which is supreme and without corruption; Adhee-atma* is Swa-bhab or particular constitution, disposition, quality, or nature; Karma is that
emanation from which proceedeth the generation of
natural beings; Adhee-bhoot is the destroying nature;
Adhee-diva is Pooroosh; and Adhee-yagna, or superin* Adhee atma, etc.-As Kreeshna's answer to the several questions of Arjoon has
something mysterious in it, I will endeavor to render it more comprehensible:
Adhee-atma literally signifies the over-ruling spirit, by which is implied the
divine nature.
Karma signifies action, whereby is to be understood his creative quality.
Aahee-bhoot-signifies he who ruleth over created beings: the power of the Deity
to destr y.
Adhee diva- literally means superior to fate; and is explained by the word
Pooroosh, which, in vulgar language, means no more than man; but in this work
it is a term in theology used to express the vital soul, or portion of the universal
spirit of Brahm inhabiting a body. So by the word Maha- Poore osh is implied the
Deity as the primordial source These terms are used in a metaphysical work
called Patanjal, whel'ein God is represented under the figure of Maha Pooroosh,
the great man or prime progenitor; in conjunction with Prakreetee, nature or first
principle, under the emblem of a female engendering the world with his Maya or
supernatural power.




66                  OP POOROOSn.
tendent of worship, is myself in this body. At the end
of time, he, who having abandoned his mortal frame,
departeth thinking only of me, without doubt goeth
unto me; or else, whatever other nature he shall call
upon, at the end of life, when he shall quit his mortal
shape, he shall ever go unto it. Wherefore at all times
think, me alone and fight.  Let thy mind and understanding be placed in me alone, and thou shalt, without
doubt, go unto me. The man who longeth after the
Divine and Supreme Being, with his mind intent upon
the practice of devotion, goeth unto him. The man
who shall in the last hour call upon the ancient prophet,
the prime director, the most minute atom, the preserver
of all things, whose countenance is like the sun, and
who is distinct from darkness, with a steady mind attac.ied to his service, with the force of devotion, and
his whole soul fixed between his brows, goeth unto that
Divine Supreme Being, who is called Param-Pooroosh.
I will now summarily make thee acquainted with that
path which the doctors of the Veds call never-failing;
which the men of subdued minds and conquered passions enter; and which, desirous of knowing, they live
the lives of Brahma-charees or godly pilgrims. He
who, having closed up all the doors of his faculties,
locked up his mind in his own breast, and fixed his
spirit in his head, standing firm in the exercise of devotion, repeating in silence C Omr!* the mystic sign of
Brahm, thence called "Ekakshar," shall, on his quit* Om I-This mystic emblem of the Deity is forbidden to be pronouned but in
silence. It is a syllable formed of the letters 9> a,; oo, which in composition coalesce, and make \3 0 and the nasal consonant I m. The first
letter stands for the Creator, the second for the Preserver, and the third for the
Destroy er.




OF POOROOSR.                      67
ting this mortal frame calling upon me, without doubt
-go the journey of supreme happiness. He who thinketh
constantly of me, his mind undiverted by another object, I will at all times be easily found by that constant
adherent to devotion; and those elevated souls, who
have thus attained supreme perfection, come unto me,
and are no more born in the finite mansion of pain and
sorrow. Know, O Arjoon, that all the regions between
this and the abode of Brahm afford but a transient residence; but he who findeth me, returneth not again to
mortal birth.
Tiwy..Who are acquainted with day and night, know
that the day of Brahma'is as a thousand revolutions of
the Yoogs,* and that his night extendeth for a thousand
more. On the coming of that day, all things proceed
from invisibility to visibility; so, on the approach Qf
night, they are all dissolved away in that which is called
invisible. The universe, even, having existed, is again
dissolved; and now again, on the approach of day, by
divine necessity, it is reproduced. That which, upon
the dissolution of all things else, is not destroyed, is
superior and of another nature from that visibility: it
is invisible and eternal. He who is thus called invisible
and incorruptible, is even he who is called the Supreme
Abode; which men having once obtained, they never
more return to earth: that is my mansion. That Supreme Being is to be obtained by him who worshippeth
* A thousand revolutions of the Yoogs. - Is equal to 4,820,000,000 years. An
ingenious mathematician, who is now in India, supposes that these Yoogs are nothing more than astronomical periods formed from the coincidence of certain cycles,
of which thope of the precession of the equinoxes and the moon are twc. The
word Yoog, which signifies a juncture or joining, gives good grounds for such an
hypothesis.




68                OF POOROOSH.
no other Gods. In him is included all nature; by him
all things are spread abroad.
I will now speak to thee of that time in which, should
a devout man die, he will never return; and of that
time, in which dying, he shall return again upon the
earth.
Those holy men who are acquainted with Brahm, departing this life in the fiery light of day, in the bright
season of the moon, within the six months of the sun's
northern course, go unto him; but those who depart in
the gloomy night of the moon's dark season, and whilst
the sun is yet within the southern path of his journey,
ascend for a while into the regions of the moon, and
again return to mortal birth. These two, light and
darkness, are esteemed the world's eternal ways: he
who walketh in the former path returneth not; whilst
he who walketh in the latter cometh back again upon
the earth. A Yogee, who is acquainted with these two
paths of action, will never be perplexed; wherefore, 0
Arjoon, be thou at all times employed in devotion.
The fruit of this surpasseth all the rewards of virtue
pointed out in the Veds, in worshippings, in mortifications, and even in the gifts of charity. The devout
Yogee, who knoweth all this, shall obtain a supreme
and prior place.




LECTURE IX.
OF THE CHIEF OF SECRETS AND PRINCE
OF SCIENCE.
KREESHNA.
I WILL now make known unto thee, who findest no
fault, a most mysterious secret, accompanied by profound learning, which, having studied, thou shalt be delivered from misfortune. It is a sovereign art, a sovereign mystery, sublime and immaculate; clear unto the
sight, virtuous, inexhaustible, and easy to be performed.
Those who are infidels to this faith, not finding me, return again into this world, the mansion of death.
This whole world was spread abroad by me in my invisible form. All things are dependent on me, and I
am not dependent on them; and all things are not dependent on me.* Behold my divine connection! My
creative spirit is the keeper of all things, not the dependent. Understand that all things rest in me, as the
mighty air, which passeth everywhere, resteth forever
in the oetherial space. At the end of the period Kalp,t
all things, 0 son of Koontee, return into my primordial
source, and at the beginning of another Kalp I create
them all again.  I plant myself on my own nature, and
create, again and again, this assemblage of beings, the
* And all things are not dependent on me.-This ambiguity is removed by the
following simi e of the air in the rether.
t Kalp.-The same as the day of Brahma, a thousand revolutions of the Yoogs.
The word literally signifies formation.




70            OF THE CHIEF OF SECRETS.
whole, from the power of nature, without power.* Those
works confine not me, because I am like one who sitteth
aloof uninterested in those works. By my supervision
nature produceth both the movable and the immovable.
It is from this source,t 0 Arjoon, that the universe
resolveth.
The foolish, being unacquainted with my supreme
and divine nature, as lord of all things, despise me in
this human form, trusting to the evil, diabolic, and deceitful principle within them. They are of vain hope,
of vain.endeavors, of vain wisdom, and void of reason;
whilst men of great minds, trusting to their divine
natures, discover that I am before all things and incorruptible, and serve me with their hearts undiverted by
other Gods.t
Men of rigid and laborious lives come before me
humbly bowing down, forever glorifying my name; and
they are constantly employed in my service; but others
serve me, worshipping me, whose face is turned on all
sides, with the worship of wisdom, unitedly, separately,
in various shapes. I am the sacrifice-; I am the worship; I am the spices; I am the invocation; I am the
ceremony to the manes of the ancestors; I am the provisions; I am the fire, and I am the victim: I am the
father and the mother of this world, the grandsire, and
the preserver.  I am-the holy one worthy to be known;
the mystic figure Om; the Reek, the San, and Yajoor
* The whole, from the power of nature, without power.-This passage is agreeable to the doctrine of the influence of the three Goon, or qualities, over all our
actions.
t It is from this source.- Because of the supervision of the Supreme Being.
t Other Gods.-Wherever the word Gods is used in this Translation, the subordinate supernatural beings are implied.




OF THE  CHIEF  OF SECRETS.                      71
Veds.*   I am  the journey of the good; the comforter;
the creator; the witness; the resting-place; the asylum,
and the friend. I am generation and dissolution, the
place where all things are reposited, and the inexhaustible seed of all nature. I am sunshine, and I am rain;
I now draw in, and now let forth. I am death and immortality: I am entity and non-entity.
The followers of the three Veds, who drink of the
juice of the Som,t being purified of their offences, address me in sacrifices, and petition for heaven. These
obtain the regions of Eendra,t the prince of celestial
beings, in which heaven  they feast upon  celestial food
and divine  enjoyments; and  when they have  partaken
of that spacious heaven for a while, in proportion to
their virtues, they sink again into this mortal life, as
soon as their stock of virtue is expended.   In this manner those, who, longing for the accomplishment of their
wishes, follow the religion pointed out by the three
Veds, obtain a transient reward. But those who, thinking of no other, serve me alone, I bear the burthen of
the devotion of those who are thus constantly engaged
in my service.   They also who serve other Gods with a
firm belief, in doing so, involuntarily worship even me.
I am he who partaketh of all worship, and I am their
reward. - Because mankind are unacquainted with my
* Veds.-The word Ved signifies learning. The sacred volumes of the Hindoos,
of which there are fiur, supposed to have been revealed from the four mouths of
Brahma. It it remarkable that Kreeshna mentions only the three first; it may
therefore be presumed that no more existed in his time.
t Som -Is the name of a creeper, the juice of which is commanded to be drank
at the conclusion of a sacrifice, by the person for whcm and at whose expense it
is performed, and by the Brahmans who officiate at the altar.
t Eendra Is a personification of the visible heavens, or the power of the
Almighty over the elements. He is the sprinkler of the rain, the roller of the
thunder, and director of the winds. He is represented with a thousand eyes, grasping the thunderbolt.




72             OF THE CHIIEF OF SECRETS.
nature they fall again from heaven. Those who worship the Devatas go unto the Devatas; the worshippers
of the Peetrees, or patriarchs, go unto the Peetrees; the
servants of the Bhoots, or spirits, go unto the Bhoots;
and they who worship me go unto me.
I accept and enjoy the holy offerings of the humble
soul, who in his worship presenteth leaves and flowers,
and fruit and water unto me. Whatever thou doest, O
Arjoon, whatever thou eatest, whatever thou sacrificest,
whatever thou givest, whatever thou shalt be zealous
about, make each an offering unto me. Thou shalt
thus be delivered with good and evil fruits, and with
the bonds of works. Thy mind being joined in the
practice of a Sannyasee,* thou shalt come unto me. I
am the same to all mankind: there is not one who is
worthy of my love or hatred. They who serve me with
adoration, I am in them, and they in me. If one, whose
ways are ever so evil, serve me alone, he is as respectable as the just man; he is altogether well employed 
he soon becometh of a virtuous spirit, and obtaineth
eternal happiness. Recollect, O son of Koontee, that
my servant doth not perish. Those even who may be
of the womb of sin; women;t the tribes of Yisya and
Soodra; shall go the supreme journey, if they take
sanctuary with me; how much more my holy servants
the Brahmans and the Rajarshees!t Consider this
* Sannyasee-one who totally forsaketh all worldly actions; but Kreeshna, in
order to unite the various re igious opinions which prevailed in those days, con.
fines the word Sannyas to a forsaking of the hope of reward.
t Women. —In the Veds it is declared, that the souls of women, and of the inferior tribes, are doomed to transmigration till they can be regenerated in the body
of a B'ahman.: Rajarshees from Raja and Reeshee, Prince and Saint.




OF THE CHIEF OF SECRETS.          73
world as a finite and joyless place, and serve me. Be
of my mind, my servant, my adorer, and bow down
before me. Unite thy soul, as it were, unto me,
make me thy asylum, and thou shalt go unto
me
T




LECTURE X.
OF  THE  DIVERSITY  OF THE  DIVINE
NATURE.
KIREESHNA.
HEAR again, 0 valiant youth, my supreme words,
which I will speak unto thee, who art well pleased,
because I am anxious for thy welfare.
Neither the hosts of Soors,* nor the Maharshees,t
know of my birth; because I am before all the Devatas
and Maharshees. Whoso, free from folly, knoweth me
to be without birth, before all things, and the mighty
ruler of the universe, he shall, amongst mortals, be
saved with all his transgressions. The various qualities
incident to natural beings, such as reason,.knowledge,
unembarrassed judgment, patience, truth, humility,
meekness, pleasure and pain; birth and death, fear and
courage; mercy, equality, gladness, charity, zeal, renown, and infamy, all distinctly come from me.  So in
former days the seven Maharshees and the four
Manoost who are of my nature, were born of my mind,
of whom are descended all the inhabitants of the earth.
He who knoweth this my distinction and my connection, according to their principles, is without doubt
endued with an unerring devotion. I am the creator
of all things, and all things proceed from me. Those
* Soors Good angels.
tMahar-hees.-Great saints, of whom there are reckoned seven, who were at
the creation produced from the mind of Brahma.
$ Manoos.-Four other beings produced at the creation from the mind of Brahma.




DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.:75
who are endued with spiritual wisdom, believe this and
worship me; their very hearts and minds are in me;
they rejoice amongst themselves, and delight in speakinog of my name, and teaching.one another my doctrine.
I gladly inspire those, who are constantly employed in
my service, with that use of reason, by which theycome
unto me; and, in compassion, I stand in my own nature,
and dissipate the darkness of their ignorance with the
light of the lamp of wisdom.
ARJOON.
All the Reeshees,* the Devarshees,t and the prophet
Narad,t call thee the supreme Brahm; the supreme
abode; the most holy; the most high God; the eternal
Pooroosh, the divine being before all other Gods, without birth, the mighty Lord!  Thus say Aseeta, Devala,
Vyas, and thou thyself hast told me so; and I firmly
believe, O Kesava, all thou tellest me. Neither the
Dews nor the Danoos~ are acquainted, O  Lord, with
thy appearance. Thou alone, O first of men!** knowest
thy own spirit; thou, who art the production of all
nature, the ruler of all things, the God of Gods, and
the universal Lord! Thou art now able to make me
acquainted with those divine portions of thyself. by
which thou possessest and dwellest in this world. How
shall I, although I constantly think of thee, be able to
know thee? In what particular natures art thou to be
found? Tell me again in full what is thy connection,
* 1eeshees.- Saints.
t Devarshees. - Deified sain's.
$ Narad.-One of the Devarshees, and a great Prophet. who is supposed to be
still wandering about the world. Nara signifies a thread or clew, a precept; and
Da Giver.-Wheievwr he appears he is constantly employed in giving good counsel
~ Danoos.-Evil spirits, or fallen angels, the offsprings of Danoo sem.)
** O first of men!-Arjoon makes use of this expression as add. essing the Deity hi
human shape.




76           DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
and what thy distinction; for I am' not yet satisfied
with drinking of the living water of thy words.
KREESIINA.
Blessings be upon thee! I will make thee acquainted
with the chief of my divine distinctions, as the extent
of my nature is infinite.
I am the soul which standeth in the bodies of all
beings. I am the beginning, the middle, and the end
of all things.  Amongst the Adeetyas* I am Veeshnoo,t and the radiant Raveet amongst the stars; I am
Mareechee~ amongst the  Maroots,**  and  Saseett
amongst the Nakshatras,:T amongst the Veds I am the
Sam,~~ and I am Vasaval amongst the Dews. Amongst
the faculties I am the mind, and amongst animals I am
reason. I am Sankar2 amongst the Roodras,8 and Veettesa4 amongst the Yakshas and the Rakshas. I am
Pavak5 amongst the Vasooss6 and Meroo7 amongst the
* Adeetyas.-The offsprings of Adeetee (f.) (that may not be cut off.) There are
reckoned twelve, and are nothing more than emblems of the sun for each month of
the year. Their names are Varoon, Soorya, Vedang, Bhanoo, Eendra, Ravee,
Gabhastee, Yam, Swarna reta, Deevakar, Meetra, Veeshnoo.
$ Veeshnoo. —He who filleth or possesseth all space. One of the twelve suns,
and the name of the Deity in his preserving quality.
t Ravee.-The riser-one of the names of the sun
~ Mareechee.-One of the eight points of the heavens.
a* Maroots.- The winds.
41 Sasee. — The moon.:| Nakshatras. Dispellers of darkness. The eighteen constellations through
which the moon passes in its monthly course. Constellations in general.
~~ Sam.-The first of the four books of the Veds, composed to be chanted or
sung.
I Vasava. -One of the names of Eendra
2 Sankar.-One of the names of Seev, or Fa'e.
8 Roodras.-Eleven distinctions of Seer, or Fate.
4 Veettesa.-The God of riches, otherwise called Koover. He is said to preside
over the regions of the north, and to be the chief of the Yakshas and the Rakehas,
two species of good and evil Genii.
5 Pavak.-The God of fire, He is supposed to preside over the southeast quarter.
6 Vasoos.-Eight of the fi st created Beings of Brahma.
7 Meroo -The north pole of the terrestrial globe, fabled by the poets to be the
highest mountain In the world. It is sometimes, by way of pre-eminence, called
8oo-meroo. It is remarkable that the word Meroo signifies a centre or axis.




DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.                              77
aspiring mountains. Amongst teachers know that I am
their chief Vreehaspatee;8 amongst warriors I am
Skanda;9 and amongst floods I am the ocean. I am
Bhreegoo'~ amongst the Maharshees, and'I am the monosyllablell amongst words. I am amongst worships the
Yap12 or silent worship,'and" amongst immovables the
mountain Heemalav.'3 Of all the trees of the forest I
am the Aswattha,'4 and of all the Devarshees I am
Narad. I am Cheetra-rath amongst Gandharvs15 and
the Moonee Kapeel amongst the saints. Know that
amongst horses I am Oochisrava, who arose with the
Amreeta from out the ocean.16 Amongst elephants I
am Iravat, and the sovereign amongst men. Amongst
weapons I am the VYajra or thunderbolt, and amongst
cattle the cow Kama-dhook.17 I am the prolific Kandarp,
8 Vreehaspatee.-The preceptor of the Devs or Dews, the planet Jupiter and
Dies Jovis.
9 Skanda-OtherWise called Karteek, the general of the celestial armies.
10 Bhreegoo.-One of the first created beings produced from  tre mind of
Brahma.
11 The monosyllable.-The mystic word or monosyllable m  Om I already explained.
12 Yap-A silent repetition of the name of God.
13 Heemalay. -The chain of snowy mountains which divide India from Tartary,
and which from the immense distance they may be seen, are supposed to be as
high as any upon the face of the globe.
14 Aswattha.-The Peepal tree.
15 Cheetra-rath amongst Gandharvs.-The title of chief of the Gandhsrvs or
celestial choirs: the Gandhsrv of the painted chariot. In the Mahabbarat is to be
found a very entertaining story of a combat between him and Arjoon, wherein he is
defeated; and, his painted chariot being destroyed by a fiery arrow shot from the
bow of his opponent. he resolves to change his name to Dagdha-rath, or the
Gandbarv of the burnt chariot.
16 Oochisrava, who arose with the Amreeta, or the water of life, from the ocean.
The Atory of chur, ing the ocean for what are called the Chowda Rattan, or fourteen jewels, is of such a curious nature, and, in some parts, bears sucn a wonderful affinity to Milton's description of the war in heaven. that the Translator thinks
it will afford the reader an agreeable contrast to the subject of this work, and serve
as a further specimen of his ver-ion of the Mahabharat, from which both are extracted. [See page 1191.
17 Kama-dhook.-One of the names of the Cow of Plenty, produced in churning
the ocean.




78          DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATU1E.
the God of love; and amongst serpents I am Vasookee,
their chief. I am Ananta amongst the Nags,18 and
Varoon'l amongst the inhabitants of the waters. I am
Aryama amongst the Peetrees, and I am Yam20 amongst
all those who rule. Amongst the Dityas (evil spirits) I
am Prahlad,21 and Kal (time) amongst computations.
Amongst beasts I am the king of beasts, and Vinateya22 amongst the feathered tribe. Amongst purifiers
I am Pavan the air, and Ram amongst those who carry
arms.  Amongst fishes I am the Makar,28 and amongst
rivers I am Ganga,24 the daughter of Jahnoo. Of things
transient I am the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Of all science, I am the knowledge of the ruling spirit,
and of all speaking I am the oration. Amongst letters
I am the vowel a, and of all compound words I am the
Dwandwa.25   I  am   also  never-failing  time;  the  preserver, whose face is turned on all sides. I am all18 Ananta amongst the Nags.-The Nags are serpents fabled with many heads.
Ananta signifies eternal, and may be an emblem of eternity. There are some very
wonderful stories told of these serpents in the original trom which these Dialogues
are taken.
19 Varoon.-The God of the Ocean.
20 Yam.-The judge of hell.
21 Pi-ahlad.-An evil spirit who was converted by Kreeshna.
22 Vlnateya.- A bird fabled to be of wonderful size, and the vehicle of Veeshnoo,
the Deity in his preserving quality, and who is otherwise called Garoor.
23,Makar.-A fish represented with a long snout, something like the proboscis of
an elephant; and the sign Capricornus.
24 Ganga.-The Ganges. When the river was first conducted from  its source,
by a Prince whose name was Bhageerath, towards the ocean, it so fell out that
Jahnoo was at his devotions at the mouth of the Mahanad e, at a place now called
Navobgunge. The Goddess in passing, swept away the utensils for his ablutions,
which so enraged him, that he dLank up her stream; but after a while his anger
was appeased, and he let her escape from an incision made in his thigh; and from
this circumstance of her second birth, she was afterwards called Jahnavee, or the
offspring of Jahnoo.
25 Dwandwa.-A term  in grammar. used where many rouns are put together
without a copulative, and the case subjoined to the last only, which is a mode of
compositfon much admired by the poets.




DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.                      79
grasping death; and I am the resurrection of those who
are about to be. Amongst foeminines I am fame, fortune, eloquence, memory, understanding, fortitude,
patience. Amongst harmonious measures I am the
Gayatree, and amongst Sams I am the Vreehat Sam.
Amongst the  months I am  the month Marga-seersha,26
and amongst seasons the season Koosoomakara,27 (spring.)
Amongst frauds I am gaming; and of all things glorious I am the glory. I am victory, I am industry, and
I am  the essence of all qualities.   Of the race of Vreeshnee I am the son of Vasoodev,28 and amongst the
Pandoos Arjoon-Dhananjay.   I am  Vyas29 amongst the
Moonees, and amongst the Bards 30 I am the prophet
Oosana.31 Amongst rulers I am the rod, and amongst
those who seek for conquest I am policy. Amongst the
secret I am  silence, and amongst the wise I am  wisdom.
I am, in like manner, 0 Arjoon, that which is the seed
of all things in nature; and there is not anything,
whether animate or inanimate, that is without me. My
divine distinctions are without end, and the many which
I have mentioned are by way of example. And learn,
26 Marga-seersha.-The month beginning with the middle of October, when the
periodical rains have subsided, and the excessive heats are abated.
27 Koosoomakara. —The season of flowers, otherwise called Vasant. The two
months between the middle of March and May. The Hindoos divide the year into
six Reetoo, or seasons, of two months each, which are thus denominated:
Seesar.-Dewy season
Heemant.-Cold Feason.
Vasan. Mild (spring.)
Greestma.- Hot season.
Varsa-Hainy season.
Sarat.- Breaking (up of the rains.)
28 Vasoodev. — The father of Kreeshna in his incarnati n.
29 Vyas. The reputed author or compiler of the Mahatharat.
30 Bards —The Poets of India, like the Bards of Britain, were revered as Saints
and P ophets.
31 Oosana.- Otherwise called Sookra, esteemed the preceptor of the evil spirits;
the planet Venus, and dies Veneris.




80      DIVERSITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
O Arjoon, that every being which is worthy of distinction and pre-eminence, is the produce of the portion of
my glory. But what, 0 Arjoon, hast thou to do with
this manifold wisdom. I planted this whole universe
with a single portion and stood still.




LECTURE XI.
DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE NATURE IN THE
FORM OF THE UNIVERSE.
ARJOON.
THIS supreme mystery, distinguished by the name
of the Adhee-atma or ruling spirit, which, out of lovingkindness, thou hast made known unto me, hath dissipated my ignorance and perplexity. I have heard from
thee a full account of the creation and destruction of
all things, and also of the mightiness of thy inexhaustible spirit. It is even as thou hast described thyself,
O mighty Lord! I am now, 0 most elevated of men,
anxious to behold thy divine countenance; wherefore,
if thou thinkest it may be beheld by me, shew me thy
never-failing spirit.
KREESH1A.
Behold, 0 Arjoon, my million forms divine, of various species, and diverse shapes and colors. Behold the
Adeetyas, and the Vasoos, and the Roodras, and the
Maroots, and the twins Asween and Koomar.32 Behold
things wonderful, never seen before. Behold, in this
my body, the whole world animate and inanimate, and
all things else thou hast a mind to see. But as thou
art unable to see with these thy natural eyes, I will give
thee a heavenly eye, with which behold my divine connection.
8$ Asween and Koomar.-Reputed the twin offsprings of the sun, and physicians
of the Gods.




82        DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE -NATURE.
SANJAY.
The mighty compound and divine being Haree, having, 0 Raja, thus spoken, made evident unto Arjoon
his supreme and heavenly form; of many a mouth and
eye; many a wondrous fight; many a heavenly ornament; many an up-raised weapon; adorned with celestial robes and chaplets; anointed with heavenly essence;
covered with every marvelous thing; the eternal God,
whose countenance is turned on every side! The glory
and amazing splendor of this mighty being may be
likened to the sun rising at once into the heavens, with
a thousand times more than usual brightness.  The son
of Pandoo then beheld within the body of the God of
Gods, standing together, the whole universe divided
forth into its vast variety. He was overwhelmed with
wonder, and every hair was raised an end.  He bowed
down his head before the God, and thus addressed him
with joined hands.
ARJOON.
I behold, 0 God! within thy breast, the Dews assembled, and every specific tribe of beings.  I see
Brahma, that Deity sitting on his lotus-throtre; all the
Reeshees and heavenly Ooragas,33  I see thyself, on all
sides, of infinite shape, formed with abundant arms, and
bellies, and mouths, and eyes; but I can neither discover thy beginning, thy middle, nor again thy end, 0
universal Lord, form of the universe! I see thee with
a crown, and armed with club and Chakra,84 a mass of
glory, darting refulgent beams around. I see thee,
33 Ooragas.-Who crawl upon their breasts: s rpen ts,
34 Cbakra -A kind of discus with a sharp edge, hurled in battle from the point
of the fort-finger, for which there is a hole in the centre.




DISPLAY OF THIE DIVINE NATURE.        83
difficult to be seen, shining on all sides with light immeasurable, like the ardent fire or glorious sun. Thou
art the Supreme Being, incorruptible, worthy to be
known! Thou art prime supporter of the universal
orb! Thou art the never-failing and eternal guardian
of religion! Thou art from all beginning, and I esteem
the Pooroosh.85 I see thee without beginning, without
middle, and without end; of valor infinite; of arms innumerable; the sun and moon thy eyes; thy mouth a
flaming fire, and the whole world shining with thy reflected glory! The space between the heavens and the
earth is possessed by thee alone, and every point around:
the three regions of the universe, O mighty spirit!
behold the wonders of thy awful countenance with
troubled minds. Of the celestial bands, some I see fly
to thee for refuge; whilst some, afraid, with joined
hands sing forth thy praise. The Maharshees, holy
bands, hail thee, and glorify thy name with adorating
praises. The Roodras, the Adeetyas, the Vasoos, and
all those beings the world esteemeth good; Asween and
Koomar, the Maroots and the Ooshmapas; the Gandharvs and the Yakshas, with the holy tribes of Soors,
all stand gazing on thee, and all alike amazed! The
worlds, alike with me, are terrified to behold thy wondrous form gigantic; with many mouths and eyes; with
many arms, and legs, and breasts; with many bellies,
and with rows of dreadful teeth! Thus as I see thee,
touching the heavens, and shining with such glory; of
such various hues, with widely-opened mouths, and
bright expanded eyes, I am disturbed within me; my
resolution faileth me, 0 Veeshnoo! and I find no rest!
85 Poorocoh.-Already explained.




84       DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
Having beholden thy dreadful teeth, and gazed on thy
countenance, emblem of Time's last fire, I know not
which way I turn! I find no peace! Have mercy,
then, O God of Gods! thou mansion of the universe!
The sons of Dhreetarashtra, now, with all those rulers
of the land, Bheeshma, Dron, the son of Soot, and even
the fronts of our army, seem to be precipitating themselves hastily into thy mouths, discovering such frightful rows of teeth! whilst some appear to stick between
thy teeth with their bodies sorely mangled. As the
rapid streams of full-flowing rivers roll on to meet the
ocean's bed; even so these heroes of the human race
rush on towards thy flaming mouths. As troops of insects, with increasing speed, seek their own destruction
in the flaming fire; even so these people, with swelling
fury, seek their own destruction. Thou involvest and
swallowest them altogether, even unto the last, with thy
flaming mouths; whilst the whole world is filled with
thy glory, as thy awful beams, 0 Veeshnoo, shine forth
on all sides! Reverence be unto thee, thou most exalted! Deign to make known unto me who is this God
of awful figure! I am anxious to learn thy source, and
ignorant of what thy presence here portendeth.
KREESHNA.
I am Time, the destroyer of mankind, matured, come
hither to seize at once all these who stand before us.
Except thyself86 not one of all these warriors, destined
against us in these numerous ranks, shall live. Wherefore, arise! seek honor and renown!. defeat the foe, and
enjoy the full-grown kingdom! They are already, as
it were, destroyed by me. Be thou alone the imme36 Ex cept thyself.-Thyself should include heis brothers, who were also saved.




DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.         85
diate agent.Y7 Be not disturbed! Kill Dron, and
Bheeshma, and Jayadrath, and Karna, and all the other
heroes of the war already killed by me. Fight! and
thou shalt defeat thy rivals in the field.
SANJAY.
When the trembling Arjoon heard these words from
the mouth of Kreeshna, he saluted him with joined
hands, and addressed him in broken accents, and bowed
down terrified before him.
ARJOON.
Ottreesheekes! the universe rejoiceth because of thy
renown, and is filled with zeal for thy service. The
evil spirits are terrified and flee on all sides; whilst the
holy tribes bow down in adoration before thee. And
wherefore should they not, 0 mighty Being! bow down
before thee, who, greater than Brahma, art the prime
Creator! eternal God of Gods! the world's mansion!
Thou art the incorruptible Being, distinct from all
things transient! Thou art before all Gods, the ancient
Pooroosh, and the supreme supporter of the universe!
Thou knowest all things, and art worthy to be known;
thou art the supreme mansion, and by thee, O infinite
form! the universe was spread abroad. Thou art Vayoo
the God of the wind, Agnee the God of fire, Varoon the
God of oceans, Sasanka the moon, Prajapatee the God
of nations, and Prapeetamaha the mighty ancestor.
Reverence! Reverence be unto thee a thousand times
repeated! Again and again reverence! Reverence be
unto thee! Reverence be unto thee before and behind!
Reverence be unto thee on all sides, O thou who art all
in all! Infinite is thy power and thy glory! Thou
87 The immediate agent.-The instrument to execute the decree of Fate.




86        DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.
includest all things, wherefore thou art all things!
Having regarded thee as my friend, I forcibly called
thee Kreeshna, Yadava, Friend! but alas! I was igiiorant of this thy greatness, because I was blinded by my
affection and presumption.  Thou hast, at times, also
in sport been treated ill by me; in thy recreations, in
thy bed, on thy chair, and at thy meals; in private and
int public; for which, O Being inconceivable! I humbly
crave thy forgiveness.
Thou art the father of all things animate and inanimate; thou art the sage instructor of the whole, worthy
to be adored! There is none like unto thee; where,
then, in the three worlds, is there one above thee?
Wherefore, I bow down; and, with my body prostrate
upon the ground, crave thy mercy, Lord! worthy to be
adored; for thou shouldst bear with me, even as a father
with his son, a friend with his friend, a lover with his
beloved. I am well pleased with having beheld things
before never seen  yet my mind is overwhelmed with
awful fear. Have mercy, then, 0 heavenly Lord! 0
mansion of the universe! and show me thy celestial
form.  I wish to behold thee with the diadem  on thy
head, and thy hands armed with club and Chakra;
assume, then, 0 God of a thousand arms, image of the
universe! thy four-armed form.8s
KREESHNA.
Well pleased, 0 Arjoon, I have shown thee, by my
divine power, this my supreme form the universe, in all
its glory, infinite and eternal, which was never seen by
anyone except thyself; for no one, 0 valiant Kooroo!
88 Thy four armed formr.-In which the Deity is usually represented in his incarn tions, the images of which Arjoon had been accustomed to behold wibhout
emodon.




DISPLAY OF THE DIVINE NATURE.         87
in the three worlds, except thyself, can such a sight of
me obtain; nor by the Veds, nor sacrifices, nor profound study; nor by charitable gifts, nor by deeds, nor
by the most severe mortification of the flesh.  Having
beholden my form, thus awful, be not disturbed, nor let
thy faculties be confounded. When thou art relieved
from fears, and thy mind is restored to peace, then
behold this my wondrous form again.
SANJAY.
The son of Vasoodev having thus spoken unto Arjoon,
shewed him again his natural form; and having reassumed his milder shape, he presently asswaged the
fears of aftrighted Arjoon.
ARJOON.
Having beheld thy placid human shape, I am again
collected; my mind is no more disturbed, and I am
once more returned to my natural state.
KREESHNA.
Thou hast beholden this my marvelous shape, so
very difficult to be seen, which even the Dews are constantly anxious to behold. But I am not to be seen, as
thou hast seen me, even by the assistance of the Veds,
by mortifications, by sacrifices, by charitable gifts; but
I am to be seen, to be known in truth, and to be obtained by means of that worship which is offered up to
me alone; and he goeth unto me whose works are
done for me; who esteemeth me supreme; who is my
servant only; who hath abandoned all consequences,
and who liveth amongst all men without hatred.




LECTURE XII.
OF  SERVING  THE  DEITY IN  HIS VISIBLE
AND INVISIBLE FORMS.
ARJOON.
OF those thy servants who are always thus employed,
which know their duty best?-those who worship thee
as thou now art; or those who serve thee in thy invisible and incorruptible nature?
IKREESHNA.
Those who having placed their minds in me, serve
me with constant zeal, and are endued with steady
faith, are esteemed the best devoted.  They, too, who,
delighting in the welfare of all nature, serve me in my
incorruptible, ineffable, and invisible form; omnipresent, incomprehensible, standing on high fixed and immovable, with subdued passions and understandings,
the same in all things, shall also come unto me.  Those
whose minds are attached to my invisible nature have
the greater labor to encounter; because an invisible
path is difficult to be found by corporeal beings.  They
also who, preferring me, leave all works for me, and,
free from the worship of all others, contemplate and
serve me alone, I presently raise them up from the
ocean of this region of mortality, whose minds are thus
attached to me. Place, then, thy heart on me, and
penetrate me with thy understanding, and thou shalt,
without doubt, hereafter enter unto me. But if thou




OF SERVING THE DEITY.              89
shouldst be unable, at once, stedfastly to fix thy mind
on me, endeavor to find me by means of constant practice. If after practice, thou art still unable, follow me
in my works supreme; for by performing works for me,
thou shalt attain perfection. But shouldst thou find
thyself unequal to this task, put thy trust in me alone,
be of humble spirit, and forsake the fruit of every action. Knowledge is better than practice; meditation is
distinguished from knowledge; forsaking the fruit of
action from meditation, for happiness hereafter is derived from such forsaking.
He my servant is dear unto me, who is free from
enmity, the friend of all nature, merciful, exempt from
pride and selfishness, the same in pain and pleasure,
patient of wrongs, contented, constantly devout, of subdued passions, and firm resolves, and whose mind and
understanding are fixed on me alone. He also is my
beloved of whom mankind are not afraid, and who of
mankind is not afraid; and who is free from the influence of joy, impatience, and the dread of harm.  He
my servant is dear unto me who is unexpecting, just
and pure, impartial, free from distraction of mind, and
who hath forsaken every enterprize. He also is worthy
of my love, who neither rejoiceth nor findeth fault;
who neither lamenteth nor coveteth, and, being my
servant, hath forsaken both good and evil fortune.  He
also is my beloved servant, who is the same in friendship and in hatred, in honor and in dishonor, in cold
and in heat, in pain and pleasure; who is unsolicitous
about the event of things; to whom praise and blame
are as one; who is of little speech, and pleased with
whatever cometh to pass; who owneth no particular




90             OF SlERVTNG THE DEITY.
home, and who is of a steady mind. They who seek
this Amreeta89 of religion  even as I have said, and
serve me faithfully before all others, are, moreover,
my dearest friends.
89 Amreeta.-The water of immortality, the Ambrosia of the Hindoo Gods.




LECTURE XIII.
EXPLANATION OF THE TERMS KSHETRA
AND KSHETRA-GNA.
ARJOON.
I NOW am anxious to be informed, 0 Kesoo! what
is Prakreetee, who is Pooroosh; what is meant by the
words Kshetra and Kshetra-gna, and what by Gnan
and Gneya.
KREESHNA.
Learn that by the word Kshetra is implied this body,
and that he who is acquainted with it is called Kshetragna. Know that I am that Kshetra-gna in every mortal frame. The knowledge of the Kshetra and the
Kshetra-gna is by me esteemed Gnan or wisdom.
Now hear what that Kshetra or body is, what it rsembleth, what are its different parts, what it proceedeth
from, who he is who knoweth it, and what are its productions. Each hath been manifoldly sung by the
Reeshees in various measures, and in verses containing
divine precepts, including arguments and proofs.
This Kshetra or body, then, is made up of the five
Mahabhoot (elements), Ahankar (self-consciousness),
Boodhee (understanding), Avyaktam (invisible spirit),
the eleven Eendreeya (organs), and the five Eendreeyagochar (faculties of the five senses); with Eecha and
Dwesha (love and hatred), Sookh and Dookh (pleasure
and pain), Chetana (sensibility), and Dhreetee (firmness.)




92                  EXPLANATION OF TERMS.
Thus have I made known unto thee what that Kshctra or body is, and what are its component parts.
Gnan, or wisdom, is freedom from self-esteem, hypocrisy and injury; patience, rectitude, respect for
masters and teachers, chastity, steadiness, self-constraint, disaffection for the objects of the senses, freedom from pride, and a constant attention40 to birth,
death, decay, sickness, pain, and defects; exemption
from attachments and affection4l for children, wife, and
home; a constant evenness of temper upon the arrival
of every event, whether longed for or not; a constant
and invariable worship paid to me alone; worshipping
in a private place, and a dislike to the society of man;
a constant study of the superior spirit;42 and the inspection of the advantage to be derived from a knowledge
of the Jattwa or first principle.
This is what is distinguished by the name of Gnan,
or wisdom..Agnan, or ignorance, is the reverse of
this.
I will now tell thee what is Gnea, or the object of
wisdom, from understanding which thou wilt enjoy immortality. It is that which hath no beginning, and is
supreme, even Brahm, who can neither be called Sat
(ens) nor Asat (non ens).43 It is all hands and feet; it
40 And a constant attention to birth, etc.-To look upon them as evils
41 Exemption from attachments and affection, etc.-i. e. That no attachment
or affections should draw a man from the exercise of his devotion; or that all
worldly cares must be abandoned for the attainment of that wisdom which is to
free the soul fi om future birth.
42 The superior spirit.-God, the universal soul
4' Sat (ens) nor Asat (non ens.'-The opposite meanings of these two words
render this pas age peculiarly mysterious; and even the commentators differ
about their true signification. The most rational interpretation of them is, that the
Deity in his works is a substance, or a material being, and in his essence imma
terial; but, as he is but one, he cannot positively be denominated either one ot
the other.




EXPLANATION OF TERMS.                93
is all faces, heads, and eyes; and, all ear, it sitteth in
the midst of the world possessing the vast whole. Itself
exempt from every organ, it is the reflected light of
every faculty of the organs.  Unattached, it containeth
all things; and without quality it partaketh of every
quality. It is the inside and the outside, and it is the
movable and immovable of all nature. From the minuteness of its parts it is inconceivable.  It standeth
at a distance, yet is it present.  It is undivided, yet in
all things it standeth divided.  It is the ruler of all
things: it is that which now  destroyeth, and now produceth.  It is the light of lights, and it is declared to
be free from darkness. It is wisdom, that which is the
object of wisdom, and that which is to be obtained by
wisdom; and it presideth in every breast.
Thus hath been described together what is Kshetra
or body, what is Gnan or wisdom, and what is Gneya
or the object of wisdom.  He my servant who thus conceiveth me obtaineth my nature.
Learn that both Prakreetee and Pooroosh are without beginning. Know also that the various component
parts of matter and their qualities are co-existent with
Prakreetee.
Prakreetee is that principle which operateth in the
agency of the instrumental cause of action.
Pooroosh is that Hetoo or principle which operateth
in the sensation of pain and pleasure. The Pooroosh
resideth in the Prakreetee, and partaketh of those
qualities which  proceed  from  the Prakreetee.  The
consequences arising from those qualities, are the cause
which operateth in the birth of the Pooroosh,44 and de44 Are the cause which opetateth in the birth of the Pooroosh, etc. - That is,
the influence of the three Goon, or qualities, over the human mind, not only de



94            EXPLANATION OF TERMS.
termineth whether it shall be in a good or evil body.
Pooroosh is that superior being, who is called Maheswar, the great God, the most high spirit, who in this
body is the observer, the director, the protector, the
partaker.
He who conceiveth the Pooroosh and the Prakreetee,
together with the Goon or qualities, to be even so as I
have described them, whatever mode of life he may
lead, he is not again subject to mortal birth.
Some men, by meditation, behold, with the mind, the
spirit within themselves; others, according to the discipline of the Sankhya (contemplative doctrines), and the
discipline which is called Karma-yog (practical doctrines); others again, who are not acquainted with this,
but have heard it from others, attend to it. But even
these, who act but from the report of others, pass
beyond the gulf of death.
Know, 0 chief of the race of Bharat, that everything
which is produced in nature, whether animate or inanimate, is produced from the union of Kshetra and Kshetra-gna, matter and spirit. He who beholdeth the
Supreme Being alike in all things, whilst corrupting,
itself uncorrupting; and conceiving that God in all
things is the same, doth not of himself injure his own
soul, goeth the journey ot immortality. He who beholdeth all his actions performed by Prakreetee, nature,
at the same time perceiveth that the Atma or soul is
inactive in them. When he beholdeth all the different
species in nature comprehended in one alone, and so
from it spread forth into their vast variety, he then
termines the future birth of the soul, but into what rank of' beings't shall transmigrate; for to transmigrate it is doomed, until it hath attained a degree of wisdom more powerful than the influence of those qualities.




EXPLANATION OF TERMS.             95
conceiveth Brahm, the Supreme Being. This supreme
spirit and incorruptible being, even when it is in the
body, neither acteth, nor is it affected, because its
nature is without beginning and without quality. As
the all-moving Akas, or ether, from the minuteness of
its parts, passeth everywhere unaffected, even so the
omnipresent spirit remaineth in the body unaffected.
As a single sun illuminateth the whole world, even so
doth the spirit enlighten everybody. They who, with
the eye of wisdom, perceive the body and the spirit to
be thus distinct, and that there is a final release from
the animal nature, go to the Supreme.




LECTURE XIV.
OF THE THREE GOON OR QUALITIES.
KREESHNA.
I WILL now reveal unto thee a most sublime knowledge, superior to all others, which having learnt, all the
Moonees have passed from it to supreme perfection.
They take sanctuary under this wisdom, and being arrived to that virtue which is similar to my own, they
are not disturbed on the day of the confusion of all
things, nor born again on their renovation.
The great Brahm is my womb. In it I place my
foetus; and from it is the production of all nature.
The great Brahm is the womb of all those various forms
which are conceived in every natural womb, and I am
the father who soweth the seed.
There are three Goon or qualities arising from Prakreetee or nature; Satwa truth, Raja passion, and Tama
darkness; and each of them confineth the incorruptible
spirit in the body. The Satwa-Goon, because of its
purity, is clear and free from defect, and intwineth the
soul with sweet and pleasant consequences, and the
fruit of wisdom. The Raja-Goon is of a passionate
nature, arising from the effects of worldly thirst, and
imprisoneth the soul with the consequences produced
from action. The Tama.Goon is the offspring of ignorance, and the confounder of all the faculties of the
mind; and it imprisoneth the soul with intoxication,




OF THE THREE GOON OR QUALITIES.       97
sloth, and idleness. The Satwa-Goon prevaileth in felicity, the Raja in action, and the Tama, having possessed the soul, prevaileth in intoxication. When the
Tama and the Raja have been overcome, then the Satwa
appeareth; when the Raja and the Satwa, the Tama;
and when the Tama and the Satwa, the Raja. When
Gnan, or wisdom, shall become evident in this body at
all its gates, then shall it be known that the SatwaGoon is prevalent within. The love of gain, industry,
and the commencement of works; intemperance, and
inordinate desire, are produced from the prevalency of
the Raja-Goon; whilst the tokens of the Tama-Goon are
gloominess, idleness, sottishness, and distraction of
thought. When the bodyis dissolved whilst the SatwaGoon prevaileth, the soul proceedeth to the regions of
those immaculate beings who are acquainted with the
Most High. When the body findeth dissolution whilst
the Raja-Goon is predominate, the soul is born again
amongst those who are attached to the fruits of their
actions. So, in like manner, should the body be dissolved whilst the Tama-Goon is prevalent, the spirit is
conceived again in The wombs of irrational beings. The
fruit of good works is called pure and holy; the fruit of
the Raja-Goon is pain; and the fruit of the Tama-Goon
is ignorance. From the Satwa is produced wisdom,
from the Raja covetousness, and from the Tama madness, distraction, and ignorance. Those of the SatwaGoon mount on high, those of the Raja stay in the
middle, whilst those abject followers of the Tama-Goon
sink below.
When he who beholdeth perceiveth no other agent
than these qualities, and discovereth that there is a




98      OF THE THREE GOON OR QUALITIES.
being superior to them, he at length findeth my nature;
and when the soul hath surpassed these three qualities,
which are co-existent with the body, if) is delivered from
birth and death, old age and pain, and drinketh of the
water of immortality.
ARJOON.
Bg what tokens is it known that a man hath surpassed these three qualities?  What is his practice?
What are the means by which he overcometh them?
KREESHNA.
He, O son of Pandoo, who despiseth not the light of
wisdom, the attention to worldly things, and the distraction of thought when they come upon him, nor
longeth for them when they disappear; who, like one
who is of no party, sitteth unagitated by the three
qualities; who, whilst the qualities are present, standeth
still and moveth not; who is self-dependent and the
same in ease and pain, and to whom iron, stone, and
gold are as one; firm alike in love and dislike, and the
same whether praised or blamed; the same in honor
and disgrace; the same on the part of the friend and
the foe, and who forsaketh all enterprize; such a one
hath surmounted the influence of the qualities. And
he, my servant, who serveth me alone with due attention, having overcome the influence of the qualities, is
formed to be absorbed in Brahm, the Supreme. I am
the emblem of the immortal, and of the incorruptible;
of the eternal, of justice, and of endless bliss.




LECTURE XV.
OF POOROOSHOTTAMA.
KREESIINA.
THE incorruptible being is likened unto the tree As
wattha, whose root is above and whose branches are
below, and whose leaves are the Veds. He who
knoweth that, is acquainted with the Veds. Its
branches growing from the three Goon or qualities,
whose lesser shoots are the objects of the organs of
sense, spread forth, some high and some low. The roots
which are spread abroad below, in the regions of mankind, are restrained by action. Its form is not to be
found here, neither its beginning, nor its end, nor its
likeness. When a man hath cut down this Aswattha,
whose root is so firmly fixed, with the strong ax of disinterest, from that time that place is to be sought from
whence there is no return for those who find it; and I
make manifest that first Pooroosh from whom is produced the ancient progression of all things.
Those who are free from pride and ignorance, have
prevailed over those faults which arise from the consequences of action, have their minds constantly employed in watching over arid restraining the inordinate
desires, and are freed from contrary causes, whose consequences bring both pleasure and pain, are no longer
confounded in their minds, and ascend to that place
which endureth forever. Neither the sun, nor the moon,




100              OF POOROOSHOTTAMA.
nor the fire enlighteneth that place from whence there
is no return, and which is the supreme mansion of my
abode.
It is even a portion of myself that in this animal
world is the universal spirit of all things. It draweth
together the five organs and the mind, which is the
sixth, that it may obtain a body, and that it may leave
it again; and Eeswar, having taken them under his
charge, accompanieth them from his own abode as the
breeze the fragrance from the flower. He presideth
over the organs of hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, and
smelling, together with the mind, and attendeth to their
objects. The foolish see it not, attended by the Goon
or qualities, in expiring, in being, or in enjoying; but
those who are endued with the eye of wisdom behold it.
Those also who industriously apply their minds in meditation may perceive it planted in their own breasts,
whilst those of unformed minds and weak judgments,
laboring, find it not.
Know that the light which proceedeth from the sun
and illuminateth the whole world, and the light which
is in the moon, and in the fire, are mine. I pervade all
things in nature, and guard them with my beams. I
am the moon, whose nature it is to give the quality of
taste and relish, and to cherish the herbs and plants of
the field.  I am  the fire residing in the bodies of all
things which have life, where, joined with the two spirits
which are called Pran and Opan,45 I digest the food
which they eat, which is of four kinds.46  I penetrate
45 Pran and Opan.-The breathing spirit, and the spirit which acteth in the
bowels to expel the fseces.
46 Which is of four klnds. —Ether to be masticated with the teeth, lapped in
with the tongue, sucked in by the lips, or imbibed by the throat.




OP  POOROOSIIOTTAMA.                         101
into the hearts of all men; and from me proceed memory,
knowledge, and the loss of both. I am to be known by
all the Veds or books of divine knowledge: I am he
who formed the Vedant,47 and I am he who knoweth
the Veds.
There are two kinds of Pooroosh in- the world, the
one corruptible, the other incorruptible.   The corruptible Pooroosh is the body of all things in nature; the
incorruptible is called Koothasta, or he who standeth
on the pinnacle.48 There is another Pooroosh49 most
high, the Paramatma, or supreme soul, who inhabiteth
the three regions of the world, even the incorruptible
Eeswar. Because I am above corruption, so also am I
superior to incorruption; wherefore, in this world, and
in the Veds, I am called Poorooshottama. The man of
a sound judgment, who conceiveth me thus to be the
Poorooshottama, knoweth all things, and serveth me in
every principle.
Thus, O.Arjoon, have I made known unto thee this
most mysterious Sastra;50 and he who understandeth it
shall be a wise man, and the performer of all that is fit
to be done.
47 The Vedant.-A metaphysical treatise on the nature of God, which teacheth
that matter is a mere delusion. the supposed author of which is Vyas.
48 Koothasta, or he who standeth on the pinnacle -The divine essence, which,
according to the opinion of some of their philosophers, is without quality, and
sitteth aloof inactive.
49 There is another Pooroosh, etc., etc -This, and the following period, are so
full of mystery, that the Translator despairs of revealing it to the satisfaction of
the reader. Perhaps Kreeshna only means to collect into one view the several
appellations Koolhasta, Pooroosh, Paramatma, Eeswar, and Pooroo.hottama, by
which the Deity is described by as many different theologists, in order to expose
their various opinions respecting his nature, and unite them in one.
60 Sabtra.-Any book of divine authority.




LECTURE XVI.
OF GOOD AND EVIL DESTINY.
KREESHNA.
THE man who is born with divine destiny is endued
with the following qualities: exemption from fear, a
purity of heart, a constant attention to the discipline
of his understanding; charity, self-restraint, religion,
study, penance, rectitude, freedom from doing wrong,
veracity, freedom from anger, resignation, temperance,
freedom from slander, universal compassion, exemption
from the desire of slaughter, mildness, modesty, discretion, dignity, patience, fortitude, chastity, unrevengefulness, and a freedom from vain-glory: whilst those
who come into life under the influence of the evil destiny are distinguished by hypocrisy, pride, presumption,
anger, harshness of speech, and ignorance. The divine
destiny is for Moksh, or eternal absorption in the divine
nature; and the evil destiny confineth the soul to mortal birth. Fear not, Arjoon, for thou art born with the
divine destiny before thee. Thus there are two kinds
of destiny prevailing in the world. The nature of the
good destiny hath been fully explained. Hear what is
the nature of the evil.
Those who are born under the influence of the evil
destiny know not what it is to proceed in virtue, or recede from vice; nor is purity, veracity, or the practice
of morality to be found in them. They say the world




OF GOOD AND EVIL DESTINY.          103
is without beginning, and without end, and without an
Eeswar; that all things are conceived by the junction
of the sexes; and that love is the only cause.  These
lost souls, and men of little understandings, having
fixed upon this vision, are born of dreadful and inhuman deeds for the destruction of the world. They
trust to their carnal appetites, which are hard to be
satisfied; are hypocrites, and overwhelmed with madness and intoxication. Because of their folly they
adopt false doctrines, and continue to live the life of
impurity. They abide by their inconceivable opinions,
even unto the day of confusion, and determine within
their own minds that the gratification of the sensual
appetites is the supreme good. Fast bound by the hundred cords of hope, and placing all their trust in lust
and anger, they seek by injustice the accumulation of
wealth, for the gratification of their inordinate desires.
"This, to-day, hath been acquired by me. I shall ob" tain this object of my heart.  This wealth I have,
"and this shall I have also. This foe have I already
"slain, and others will I forthwith vanquish. I am
"' Eeswar, and I enjoy; I am consummate, I am power"ful, and I am happy; I am rich, and I am endued
"with precedence amongst men; and where is there
"another like unto me? I will make presents at the' feasts and be merry." In this manner do those ignorant men talk, whose minds are thus gone astray. Confounded with various thoughts and designs, they are
entangled in the net of folly; and being firmly attached
to the gratification of their lusts, they sink at length
into the Narak of impurity. Being self-conceited, stubborn, and ever in pursuit of wealth and pride, they




104         OF GOOD AND EVIL DESTINY.
worship with the name of worship and hypocrisy, and
not according to divine ordination; and, placing all
their trust in pride, power, ostentation, lust, and anger,
they are overwhelmed with calumny and detraction,
and hate me in themselves and others: wherefore, I cast
down upon the earth those furious abject wretches,
those evil beings who thus despise me, into the wombs
of evil spirits and unclean beasts.  Being doomed to
the wombs of Asoors from birth to birth, at length not
finding me, they go unto the most infernal regions.
There are these three passages to Narak (or the infernal regions;) lust, anger, and avarice, which are the
destroyers of the soul; wherefore, a man should avoid
them; for, being freed from these gates of sin, which
arise from the influence of the Tama-Goon, he advanceth
his own happiness; and at length he goeth the journey
of the Most High. He who abandoneth the dictates
of the Sastra to follow the dictates of his lusts, attaineth
neither perfection, happiness, nor the regions of the
Most High. Wherefore, 0 Arjoon, having made thyself acquainted with the precepts of the Sastra, in the
establishment of what is fit and unfit to be done, thou
shouldst perform those works which are declared by the
commandments of the Sastra.




LECTURE XVII.
OF FAITH DIVIDED INTO THREE SPECIES.
ARJOON.
WHAT is the guide of those men, who, although
they neglect the precepts of the Sastra, yet, worship
with faith? Is it the Satwa, the Raja or the TamaGoon?
KREESHNA.
The faith of mortals is of three kinds, and is produced from the constitution. It is denominated after
the three Goon, Satwakee, Rajasee, or Tamasee. Hear
what these are.  The faith of every one is a copy of
that which is produced from the Satwa-Goon. The
mortal Pooroosh being formed with faith, of whatever
nature he may be, with that kind of faith is he endued.
Those who are of the disposition which ariseth from the
Satwa-Goon worship the Dews; those of the Raja-Goon
the Yakshas, and the Rakshas; and those of the TamaGoon worship the departed spirits and the tribe of
Bhoots. Those men who perform severe mortifications
of the flesh, not authorized by the Sastra, are possessed
of hypocrisy and pride, and overwhelmed with lust,
passion, and tyrannic strength.  Those fools torment
the spirit that is in the body, and myself also who am
in them. Know what are the resolutions of those who
are born under the influence of the evil spirit.
There are three kinds of food which are dear unto all




106      FAITH  DIVIDED  INTO THREE SPECIES
men. Worship, zeal,51 and charity are each of them
also divided into three species. Hear what are their
distinctions.
The food that is dear unto those of the Satwa-Goon
is such as increases their length of days, their power
and their strength, and keeps them free from sickness,
happy, and contented. It is pleasing to the palate,
nourishing, permanent, and congenial to the body. It
is neither too bitter, too sour, too salt, too hot, too pungent, too astringent, nor too inflammable.  The food
that is coveted by those of the Raja-Goon giveth nothing but pain and misery; and the delight of those in
whom the Tama-Goon pre-vaileth, is such as was dressed
the day before, and is out of season, hath lost its taste,
and is grown putrid; the leavings of others, and all
things that are impure.
That worship which is directed by divine precept, and
is performed without the desire of reward, as necessary
to be done, and with an attentive mind, is of the SatwaGoon.
The worship which is performed with a view  to the
fruit, and with hypocrisy, is of the Tama-Goon.
The worship which is performed without regard to
the precepts of the law, without the distribution of
bread, without the usual invocations, without gifts to
the Brahmans at the conclusion, and without faith,
is of the Raja-Goon.
Respect to the Dews, to Brahmans, masters, and
learned men; chastity, rectitude, the worship of the
51 Zeal, in the vulgar acceptation of the word, signifies the voluntary infliction
of pain, the modes of doing whi.h, as practised to this day by the zealots of India,
are as various as they are horrible and astonishing. Kreeshna, by pointing out
what true zeal is, tacitly condemns those extravagant mortifications of the flesh.




FAITII DfVIDED INTO THREE SPECIES.    107
Deity, and a freedom from injury, are called bodily
zeal.
Gentleness, justness, kindness, and benignity of
speech, and attention to one's particular studies, are
called verbal zeal.
Content of mind, mildness of temper, devotion, restraint of the passions, and a purity of soul, are called
mental zeal.
This threefold zeal being warmed with supreme faith,
and performed by men who long not for the fruit of
action, is of the Satwa-Goon.
The zeal which is shown by hypocrisy, for the sake
of the reputation of sanctity, honor, and respect, is said
to be of the Raja-Goon; and it is inconstant and uncertain..
The zeal which is exhibited with self-torture, by the
fool, without examination, or for the purpose of injuring another, is of the Tama-Goon.
That charity which is bestowed by the disinterested,
because it is proper to be given, in due place and season, and to proper objects, is of the Satwa-Goon.
That which is given in expectation of a return, or for
the sake of the fruit of the action, and with reluctancy,
is of the Raja-Goon.
That which is given out of place and season, and to
unworthy objects, and, at the same time, ungraciously
and scornfully, is pronounced to be of the Tama-Goon.
min, jR  Tat, and A   Sat, are the three mystic
characters used to denote the Deity.
By him in the beginning were appointed the Brahmans, the Veds, and religion: hence the sacrificial,
charitable, and zealous ceremonies of the expounders of




108    FAITH DIVIDED INTO THREE SPECIES.
the word of God, as they are ordained by the law, constantly proceed after they have pronounced Onm!
Tat having been pronounced by those who long for
immortality, without any inclination for a temporary
reward of their actions, then are performed the ceremonies of worship and zeal, and the various deeds of
charity.
The word Sat is used for qualities which are true,
and for qualities that are holy. The word Sat is also
applied to deeds which are praiseworthy. Attention in
worship, zeal, and deeds of charity, are also called Sat.
Deeds which are performed for Tat are also to be
esteemed Sat.
Whatever is performed without faith, whether it be
sacrifices, deeds of charity, or mortifications of the flesh,
is called Asat; and is not for this world or that which
is above.




LEOTURE XVIII.
OF FORSAKING THE FRUITS OF ACTION
FOR OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.
ARJOON.
I WISH much to comprehend the principle of Sannyas, and also of Tyag, each separately.
KREESHNA.
The bards conceive52 that the word Sannyas implieth
the forsaking of all actions which are desirable; and
they call Tyag, the forsaking of the fruits of every action. Certain philosophers have declared that works
are as much to be avoided as crimes; whilst others say
that deeds of worship, mortifications, and charity should
not be forsaken. Hear what is my decree upon the
term Tyag.
Tyag, or forsaking, is pronounced to be of three natures.    But deeds of worship, mortification, and charity
52 The Bards conceive, etc.-The meaning of this period is too evident to require a note. But, in order to show that the commentators of India are not less
fond of searching for mystery, and wandering from the simple path of iheir author
into a labyrinth of scholastic jargon, than some of those of more enlightened nations, who for ages have been laboring to entangle the plain unerring clew of our
holy religion, the Translator, In this place, will intrude the following literal version
of the comment wrlhten upon it by one Sree-dhar Swamee, whose notes upon the
whole are held in as much esteem as the text. which at this day, they say, is unintelligible without them. It can seldom happen that a commentator is inspired with
the same train of thought and arrangement of ideas as the author whose sentiments he presumes to expound. especially in metaph3 sical works. The Translator
hath seen a comment, by a zealous Persian, upon the wanton od, s of their favorite
poet Hafiz, wherein every obscene allusion is sublimated ioto a divine mystery. and
the host and the tavern are as ingeniously metamorphosed into their prophet and
his holy Lemple.  (See Chapter-note by Sree dhar Swamee, page 128.)
10




110       OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.
are not to be forsaken: they are proper to be performed.  Sacrifices, charity, and mortifications  are
purifiers of the philosopher. It is my ultimate opinion
and decree, that such works are absolutely to be performed, with a forsaking of their consequences and the
prospect of their fruits. The retirement from works,
which are appointed to be performed, is improper.
The forsaking of them through folly and distraction
of mind, ariseth from the influence of the Tama-Goon.
The forsaking of a work because it is painful, and
from the dread of bodily affliction, ariseth from the
Raja-Goon; and he who thus leaveth undone what he
ought to do, shall not obtain the fruit of forsaking.
The work which is performed because it is appointed
and esteemed necessary to be done, and with a forsaking of the consequences and the hope of a reward, is,
with such a forsaking, declared to be of the SatwaGoon.
The man who is possessed of the Satwa-Goon is thus
a Tyagee, or one who forsaketh the fruit of action. He
is of a sound judgment, and exempt from all doubt; he
complaineth not in adversity, nor exulteth in the success of his undertakings.
No corporeal being is able totally to refrain from
works.  He is properly denominated a Tyagee who is a
forsaker of the fruit of action.
The fruit of action is threefold: that which is coveted,
that which is not coveted, and that which is neither one
nor the other. Those who do not abandon works obtain a final release; not those who withdraw from action, and are denominated Sannyasees.
Learn, O Arjoon, that for the accomplishment of




OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.             111
every work five agents53 are necessary, as is further declared in the Sankhya and Vedant-Sastras: attention
and supers' ion, the actor, the implements of various
sorts, distinct and manifold contrivances, and lastly,
the favor of Providence. The work which a man undertaketh, either with his body, his speech, or his mind,
whether it be lawful or unlawful, hath these five agents
engaged in the performance. HIe then who after this,
because of the imperfection of his judgment, beholdeth
no other agent than himself, is an evil-thinker and seeth
not at all. He who hath no pride in his disposition,
and whose judgment is not affected, although he should
destroy a whole world, neither killeth, nor is he bound
thereby.54
In the direction of a work are three things: Gnan,
Gneya, and Pareegnata.55 The accomplishment of a
work is also threefold: the implement, the action, and
the agent. The Gnan, the action, and the agent are
each distinguished by the influence of the three Goon.
Hear in what manner they are declared to be after the
order of the three Goon.
That Gnan, or wisdom, by which one principle alone
is seen prevalent in all nature, incorruptible and infinite
in all things finite; is of the Satwa-Goon.
That Gnan, or wisdom, is of the Raja-Goon, by which
a man believeth that there are various and manifold
principles prevailing in the natural world of created
beings.
That Gnan, or wisdom, which is mean, interested in
53 Five agents, etc.-The five agents here implied, are probably the soul, as supervisor; the mind, as actor or director; the organs, as implements, etc.
54 Nor is he bound thereby.-He is not confined to mortal birth.
55 Gnan, Gneya, and Pareegnata.-Wisdom, the object of wisdom, and the superintending spirit.




112       OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION
one single object alone as if it were the whole, without
any just motive or design, and without principle or
profit, is pronounced to be of the Tama-Goon.
The action which is appointed by divine precept, is
performed free from the thought of its consequences
and without passion or despite, by one who hath no regard for the fruit thereof, is of the Satwa-Goon.
The action which is performed by one who is fond of
the gratification of his lusts, or by the proud and selfish,
and is attended with unremitted pains, is of the RajaGoon.
The action which is undertaken through ignorance
and folly, and without any foresight of its fatal and injurious consequence, is pronounced to be of the TamaGoon.
The agent who is regardless of the consequences, is
free from pride and arrogance, is endued with fortitude
and resolution, and is unaffected whether his work succeed or not, is said to be of the Satwa-Goon.
That agent is pronounced to be of the Raja-Goon
who is a slave to his passions, who longeth for the fruit
of action, who is avaricious, of a cruel disposition, of
impure principles, and a slave to joy and grief.
The agent who is unattentive, indiscreet, stubborn,
dissembling, mischievous, indolent, melancholy, and
dilatory, is of the Tama-Goon.
Hear also what are the threefold divisions of understanding and firmness, according to the influence of the
three Goon, which are about to be explained to thee
distinctly and without reserve.
The understanding which can determine what it is tG
proceed inma business, and what it is to recede; what is




OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.         113
necessary and what is unnecessary; what is fear and
what is not; what is liberty and what is confinement, is
of the Satwa-Goon.
The understanding which doth not conceive justice
and injustice; what is proper and what is improper; as
they truly are, is of the Raja-Goon.
The understanding, which, being overwhelmed in
darkness, mistaketh injustice for justice, and all things
contrary to their true intent and meaning, is of the
Tama-Goon.
That steady firmness, with which a man, by devotion,
restraineth every action of the mind and organs, is of
the Satwa-Goon.
That interested firmness by which a man, from views
of profit, persisteth in the duties of his calling, in the
gratification of his lusts, and the acquisition of wealth,
is declared to be of the Raja-Goon.
That stubborn firmness, by which a man of low capacity departeth not from sloth, fear, grief, melancholy,
and intoxication, is of the Tama-Goon.
Now hear what is the threefold division of pleasure.
That pleasure which a man enjoyeth from his labor,
and wherein he findeth the- end of his pains; and that
which, in the beginning, is as poison, and in the end as
the water of life, is declared to be of the Satwa-Goon,
and to arise from the consent of the understanding.
That pleasure which ariseth from the conjunction of
the organs with their objects, which in the beginning is
as sweet as the water of life, and in the end as a poison,
is of the Raja-Goon.
That pleasure which in the beginning and the end
tendeth to stupify the soul, and ariseth from drowsiness,




114        OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.
idleness, and intoxication, is pronounced to be of the
Tama-Goon.
There is not anything either in heaven or earth, or
~amongst the hosts of heaven, which is free from the influence of these three Goon or qualities, which arise
from the first principles of nature.
The respective duties of the four tribes of Brahman,56
Kshetree,57 Visya, and Soodra,58 are also determined
by the qualities which are in their constitutions.
The natural duty of the Brahman is peace, self-restraint, zeal, purity, patience, rectitude, wisdom, learning, and theology.
The natural duties of the Kshetree are bravery,
glory, fortitude, rectitude, not to flee from the field,
generosity, and princely conduct.
The natural duty of the Visya is to cultivate the
land, tend the cattle, and buy and sell.
The natural duty of a Soodra is servitude.
A man being contented with his own particular lot
and duty obtaineth perfection.  Hear how that perfection is to be accomplished.
The man who maketh an offering of his own works
to that being from whom the principles of all beings
proceed, and by whom the whole universe was spread
forth, by that means obtaineth perfection.
The duties of a man's own particular calling, although
not free from faults, is far preferable to the duty of
another, let it be ever so well pursued. A man by following the duties which are appointed by his birth,
56 Brahman —is a derivative from the word Brahm, the Deity, and signifies a
theologist or divine.
57 Kshetree —s derived from the word Kshetra, lane
58 Visya and Soodra - are of doubtful origin.




OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.        115
doeth no wrong. A man's own calling, with all its
faults, ought not to be forsaken. Every undertaking
is involved in its faults, as the fire in its smoke. A disinterested mind and conquered spirit, who, in all things,
is free from inordinate desires, obtaineth a perfection
unconnected with works, by that resignation and retirement which is called Sannyas; and having attained that
perfection, learn from me, in brief, in what manner he
obtaineth Brahm, and what is the foundation of wisdom.
A man being endued with a purified understanding,
having humbled his spirit by resolution, and abandoned
the objects of the organs; who hath freed himself from
passion and dislike; who worshippeth with discrimination, eateth with moderation, and is humble of speech,
of body, and of mind; who preferreth the devotion of
meditation, and who constantly placeth his confidence
in dispassion; who is freed from ostentation, tyrannic
strength, vain-glory, lust, anger, and avarice; and who
is exempt from selfishness, and in all things temperate,
is formed for being Brahm. And thus being as Brahm,
his mind is at ease, and he neither longeth nor lamenteth. He is the same in all things, and obt'aineth
my supreme assistance; and by my divine aid he
knoweth, fundamentally, who I am, and what is the extent of my existence; and having thus discovered who
I am, he at length is absorbed in my nature.
A man also being engaged in every work, if he put
his trust in me alone, shall, by my divine pleasure, obtain the eternal and incorruptible mansions of my
abode.
With thy heart place all thy works on me; prefer me
to all things else; depend upon the use of thy under



116       OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.
standing, and think constantly of me; for by doing so
thou shalt, by my divine favor, surmount every difficulty
which surroundeth thee. But if, through pride, thou
wilt not listen unto my words, thou shalt undoubtedly
be lost. From a confidence in thy own self-sufficiency
thou mayst think that thou wilt not fight. Such is a
fallacious determination, for the principles of thy nature
will impel thee. Being confined to action by the duties
of thy natural calling, thou wilt involuntarily do that
from necessity, which thou wantest, through ignorance,
to avoid.
Eeswar resideth in the breast of every mortal being,
revolving with his supernatural power all things which
are mounted upon the universal wheel of time. Take
sanctuary, then, upon all occasions, with him alone, O
offspring of Bharat; for by his divine pleasure thou
shalt obtain supreme happiness and an eternal abode.
Thus have I made known unto thee a knowledge
which is a superior mystery. Ponder it well in thy
mind, and then act as it seemeth best unto thee.
Attend now to these my supreme and most mysterious words, which I will now for thy good reveal unto
thee, because thou art dearly beloved of me. Be of my
mind, be my servant, offer unto me alone and bow down
humbly before me, and thou shalt verily come unto me;
for I approve thee, and thou art dear unto me. Forsake every other religion, and fly to me alone. Grieve
not, then, for I will deliver thee from all thy transgressions.
This is never to be revealed by thee to anyone who
hath not subjected his body by devotion, who is not my




OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.         117
servant, who is not anxious to learn; nor unto him who
despiseth me.
He who shall teach this supreme mystery unto my
servant, directing his service unto me, shall undoubtedly
go unto me; and there shall not be one amongst mankind who doeth me a greater kindness; nor shall there
be in all the earth one more dear unto me.
He also who shall read these our religious dialogues,
by him I may be sought with the devotion of wisdom.
This is my resolve.
The man, too, who may only hear it without doubt,
and with due faith, may also be saved, and obtain the
regions of happiness provided for those whose deeds are
virtuous.
Hath what I have been speaking, 0 Arjoon, been
heard with thy mind fixed to one point? Is the distraction of thought, which arose from thy ignorance,
removed?
ARJOON.
By thy divine favor, my confusion of mind is lost,
and I have found understanding. I am now fixed in
my principles, and am freed from all doubt; and I will
henceforth act according to thy words.
SANJAY.
In this manner have I been an ear-witness of the astonishing and miraculous conversation that hath passed
between the son of Vasoodev, and the magnanimous son
of Pandoo; and I was enabled to hear this supreme and
miraculous doctrine, even as revealed from the mouth
of Kreeshna himself, who is the God of religion, by the
favor of Vyas.59 As, 0 mighty Prince! I recollect
59 By the favor of Vyas-who had endued Sanjay with an omniscient and pro.
phetic spirit, by which he might be enabled to recount all the circumstances of the
war to the blind Dhreetarashtra.




118      OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION.
again and again this holy and wonderful dialogue of
Kreeshna and Arjoon, I continue more and more to
rejoice; and, as I recall to my memory the more than
miraculous form of Haree,60 my astonishment is great,
and I marvel and rejoice again and again! Wherever
Kreeshna the God of devotion may be, wherever Arjoon
the mighty bowman may be, there, too, without doubt,
are fortune, riches, victory, and good conduct. This is
my firm belief.
60 Haree.-One of the names of the Deity.
THE END OF THE GEETA.




AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABIIHARAT.
"THERE is a fair and stately mountain, and its
name is Meroo, a most exalted mass of glory, reflecting
the sunny rays from the splendid surface of its gilded
horns. It is cloathed in gold, ans is the respected
haunt of Dews and Gandharvs. It is inconceivable,
and not to be encompassed by sinful man; and it is
guarded by dreadful serpents. Many celestial medicinal plants adorn its sides, and it stands, piercing the
heavens with its aspiring summit, a mighty hill inaccessible even by the human mind! It is adorned with
trees and pleasant streams, and resoundeth with the
delightful songs of various birds."
The Soors, and all the glorious hosts of heaven, having ascended to the summit of this lofty mountain,
sparkling with precious gems, and for eternal ages
raised, were sitting, ip solemn synod, meditating the
discovery of the Amreeta, or water of immortality. The
Dew Narayan being also there, spoke unto Brahma,
whilst the Soors were thus consulting together, and
said: "Let the ocean, as a pot of milk, be churned by
"the united labor of the Soors and Asoors; and when
"the mighty waters have been stirred up, the Amreeta
"shall be found. Let them collect together every medi"cinal herb, and every precious thing, and let them stir
"the ocean, and they shall discover the Amreeta."
There is also another mighty mountain whose name
is Mandar, and its rocky summits are like towering




AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABHARAT.   120
clouds. It is cloathed in a net of the entangled tendrils
of the twining creeper, and resoundeth with the harmony
of various birds. Innumerable savage beasts infest its
borders, and it is the respected haunt of Keennars,
Dews, and Apsars. It standeth eleven thousand Yojan
above the earth, and eleven thousand more below its
surface.
As the united bands of Dews were unable to remove
this mountain, they went before Veeshnoo, who was sitting with Brahma& and addressed them in these words:
"Exert, O masters, your most superior wisdom to re" move the mountain Mandar, and employ your utmost
"power for our good."
Veeshnoo and Brahma having said: "It shall be ac"cording to your wish," he with the lotus eye directed
the King of Serpents to appear; and Ananta arose,
and was instructed in that work by Brahma, and commanded by Narayan to perform it. Then Ananta, by
his power, took up that king of mountains, together with
all its forests and every inhabitant thereof; and the
Soors accompanied him into the presence of the Ocean,
whom they addressed, saying:"" We will stir up thy
" waters to obtain the Amreeta." And the Lord of the
waters replied-" Let me also have a share, seeing I
" am to bear the violent agitations that will be caused
"by the whirling of the mountain."  Then the Soors
and the Asoors spoke unto Koorma-raj, the King of
the Tortoises, upon the strand of the ocean, and said:
"My Lord is able to be the supporter of this mountain." The Tortoise replied: "Be it so;" and it was
placed upon his back.
So the mountain being set upon the back of the Tor



AN EPISODE FROM THE MAIABIHARAT.   121
toise, Eendra began to whirl it about as it were a
machine. The mountain Mandar served as a churn,
and the serpent Vasookee for the rope; and thus in
former days did the Dews, the Asoors, and the Danoos,
begin to stir up the waters of the ocean for the discovery of the Amreeta.
The mighty Asoors were employed on the side of the
serpent's head, whilst all the Soors assembled about his
tail. Ananta, that sovereign Dew, stood near Narayan.
They now pull forth the serpent's head repeatedly,
and as often let it go; whilst there issued from his
mouth, thus violently drawing to and fro by the Soors
and Asoors, a continual stream of fire, and smoke, and
wind; which ascending in thick clouds replete with
lightning, it began to rain down upon the heavenly
bands, who were already fatigued with their labor;
whilst a shower of flowers was shaken from the top of the
mountain, covering the heads of all, both Soors and
Asoors. In the meantime the roaring of the ocean,
whilst violently agitated with the whirling of the mountain Mandar by the Soors and Asoors, was like the
bellowing of a mighty cloud..Thousands of the various
productions of the waters were torn to pieces by the
mountain, and confounded with the briny flood; and
every specific being of the deep, and all the inhabitants
of the great abyss which is below the earth, were annihilated; whilst, from the violent agitation of the mountain, the forest trees were dashed against each other,
and precipitated from its utmost height, with all the
birds thereon; from whose violent confrication a raging
fire was produced, involving the whole mountain with
smoke and flame, as with a dark, blue cloud, and the




122    AN EPISODE FROM THE MATIABIARAT.
lightning's vivid flash. The lion and the retreating
elephant are overtakehn by the devouring flames, and
every vital being, and every specific thing, are consumed in the general conflagration.
The raging flames, thus spreading destruction on all
sides, were at length quenched by a shower of cloudborne water poured down by the immortal Eendra.
And now a heterogeneous stream of the concocted juices
of various trees and plants ran down into the briny
flood.
It was from this milk-like stream of juices produced
from those trees and plants, and a mixture of melted
gold, that the Soors obtained their immortality.
The waters of the ocean now being assimilated with
those juices, were converted into milk, and from that
milk a kind of butter was presently produced; when the
heavenly bands went again into the presence of Brahma,
the granter of boons, and addressed him, saying: " Ex"cept Narayan, every other Soor and Asoor is fatigued
"with his labor, and still the Amreeta doth not ap"pear; wherefore, the churning of the ocean is at-a
"stand." Then Brahma said unto Narayan: " Endue
" them with recruited strength, for thou art their sup"port." And Narayan answered and said: "I will
"give fresh vigor to such as co-operate in the work.
"Let Mandar be whirled about, and the bed of the
"ocean be kept steady."
When they heard the words of Narayan, they all returned again to the work, and began to stir about with
great force that butter of the ocean; when there presently arose from out the troubled deep,-,first the moon,
with a pleasing countenance, shining with ten thousand




AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABHARAT.   123
beams of gentle light;. neft followed Sree, the goddess
of fortune, whose seat is the white lily of the waters;
then Soora-Devee, the goddess of wine, and the white
horse called Oochisrava. And after these there was
produced, from the unctuous mass, the jewel Kowstoobh,
that glorious sparkling gem worn by Narayan on his
breast; so Pareejat, the tree of plenty, and Soorabhee,
the cow that granted every heart's desire.
The moon, Soora-Devee, the Goddess Sree, and the
horse as swift as thought, instantly marched away
towards the Dews, keeping in the path of the sun.
Then the Dew Dhanwantaree, in human shape, came
forth, holding in his hand a white vessel filled with the
immortal juice Amreeta. When the Asoors beheld these
wondrous things appear, they raised their tumultuous
voices for the Amreeta, and each of them clamorously
exclaimed: "This of right is mine!"
In the meantime, Iravat, a mighty elephant, arose,
now kept by the God of thunder; and, as they continued to churn the ocean more than enough, that
deadly poison issued from its bed, burning like a raging
fire, whose dreadful fumes in a moment spread throughout the world, confounding the three regions of the
universe with its mortal stench; until Seev, at the word
of Brahma, swallowed the fatal drug to save mankind;
which remaining in the throat of that sovereign Dew ot
magic form, from that time he hath been called NeelKant, because his throat was stained blue.
When the Asoors beheld this miraculous deed, they
became desperate, and the Amreeta and the Goddess
Sree became the source of endless hatred.
Then Narayan assumed the character and person of




1.24    AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABHARAT.
Moheenee Maya, the power of inchantment, in a female
form of wonderful beauty, and stood before the Asoors;
whose minds being fascinated by her presence, and deprived of reason, they seized the Amreeta, and gave it
unto her.
The Asoors now cloath themselves in costly armor,
and, seizing their various weapons, rush on together to
attack the Soors. In the mealtime Narayan, in the
female form, having obtained the Amreeta from the
hands of their leader, the hosts of Soors, during the
tumult and confusion of the Asoors, drank of the living
water.
And it so fell out, that whilst the Soors were quenching their thirst for immortality, Rahoo, an Asoor, assumed the form of a Soor, and began to drink also.
And the water had but reached his throat, when the
sun and moon, in friendship to the Soors, discovered
the deceit; and instantly Narayan cut off his head, as
he was drinking, with his splendid weapon Chakra.
And the gigantic head of the Asoor, emblem of a mountain's summit, being thus separated from his body by
the Chakra's edge, bounded into the heavens with a
dreadful cry, whilst his ponderous trunk fell cleaving
the ground asunder, and shaking the whole earth unto
its foundation, with all its islands, rocks, and forests.
And from that time the head of Rahoo resolved an
eternal enmity, and continueth, even unto this day, at
times to seize upon the sun and moon.
Now Narayan, having quitted the female figure he
had assumed, began to disturb the Asoors with sundry
celestial weapons; and from that instant a dreadful battle was commenced, on the ocean's briny strand, between




AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABHARAT.    125
the Asoors and the Soors. Innumerable sharp and
missile weapons were hurled, and thousands of piercing
darts and battle-axes fell on all sides. The Asoors
vomit blood from the wounds of the Chakra, and fall
upon the ground pierced by the sword, the spear, and
spiked club. Heads, glittering with polished gold,
divided by the Pattees' blade, drop incessantly. and
mangled bodies, wallowing in their gore, lay like fragments of mighty rocks sparkling with gems and precious
ores. Millions of sighs and groans arise on every side;
and the sun-is overcast with blood, as they clash their
arms, and wound each other with their dreadful instruments of destruction.
Now the battle's fought with the iron-spiked club,
and, as they close, with clenched fist; and the din ot
war ascendeth to the heavens'! They cry: " Pursue!
strike! fell to the ground!" so that a horrid and tumultuous noise is heard on all sides.
In the midst of this dreadful hurry and confusion of
the fight, Nar and Narayan ~entered the field together.
Narayan beholding a celestial bow in the hand of Nar,
it reminded him of his Chakra, the destroyer of the
Asoors. The faithful weapon, by name Soodarsan,
ready at the mind's call, flew down from heaven with
direct and refulgent speed, beautiful, yet terrible to
behold. And being arrived, glowing like the sacrificial
flame, and spreading terror around, Narayan, with his
right arm formed like the elephantine trunk, hurled
forth the ponderous orb, the speedy messenger, and
glorious ruin of hostile towns; who, raging like the
final all-destroying fire, shot bounding with desolating




126    AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHA13TBARAT.
force, killing thousands of the Asoors in his rapid flights
burning and involving, like the lambent flame, and cutting down all that would oppose him. Anon he climbeth
the heavens, and now again darteth into the field like a
Peesach to feast in blood.
Now the dauntless Asoors strive, with repeated
strength to crush the Soors with rocks and mountains,
which, hurled in'vast numbers into the heavens, appeared like scattered clouds, and fell, with all the trees
thereon, in millions of fear-exciting torrents, striking
violently against each other with a mighty noise; and
in their fall the earth, with all its fields and forests, is
driven from its foundation: they thunder furiously at
each other as they roll along the field, and spend their
strength in mutual conflict.
Now Nar, seeing the Soors overwhelmed with fear,
filled up the path to heaven with showers of goldenheaded arrows, and split the mountain summits with his
unerring shafts; and the Asoors, finding themselves
again sore pressed by the Soors, precipitately flee:
some rush headlong into the briny waters of the ocean,
and others hide themselves within the bowels of the
earth.
The rage of the glorious Chakra, Soodarsan, which
for a while burnt like the oil-fed fire, now grew cool,
and he retired into the heavens from whence he came.
And the Soors having obtained the victory, the mountain Mandar was carried back to its former station
with great respect; whilst the waters also retired,
filling the firmament and the heavens with their dreadful roarings.




AN EPISODE FROM THE MAHABHARAT.   127
The Soors guarded the Amreeta with great care,
and rejoiced exceedingly because of their success;
and Eendra, with all his immortal bands, and gave
the water of life unto Narayan, to keep. it for their
use.




NOTE BY SREE-DHAR SWAMEE.
"THE BARDS, ETc.-The Veds say: "Let him
"who longeth for children make offerings. Let him
"who longeth for heaven make offerings, etc. The
" Bards understand Sannyas to be a forsaking, that is,
"a total abandonment, of such works as are performed
" for the accomplishment of a wish, such works as are
"bound with the cord of desire.  The Pandeets know,
"' that is, they understand, Sannyas to imply also a for"saking of all works, together with all their fruits.
"The disquisitors, that is, such as expound or make
"clear, call Tyag a forsaking of the fruit only of every
"work that is desirable, whether such as are ordained
" to be performed constantly, or only at stated periods;
" and not a forsaking of the work itself. But how can
"there be a forsaking of the fruit of such constant and
"stated works as have no particular fruit or reward
" annexed to them? The forsaking of a barren woman's
"child cannot be conceived. It is said:'Although
" one who longeth for heaven, or for a store of cattle,
"etc., should all his life perform the cerem'bnies which
" are called Sandya, or feed the fire upon the altar,
"and in these and the like ceremonies, no particular
"reward has ever been heard of; yet whilst the law is
" unable to engage a provident and wary man in a work
" where no human advantage is to be seen, at the same
"time it ordaineth that even he who hath conquered
"the universe, etc., shall perform sacrifices; still for




NOTE BY SREE-DHAR SWAMEE.           129
"these, and the like religious duties, it hath appointed
" some general reward.' But it is the opinion of Gooroo,
" that the law intended these works merely for its own
"accomplishment.  Such a tenet is unworthy of notice,
" because of the difficulty of obliging men to pay atten"tion to those works. It is also said that there is a
"reward annexed to the general and particular duties;' that they who perform them shall become inhabitants
"of the Poonya-lok; that by works the Peetree-lok is
" to be attained; that by good works crimes are done
"away, etc. Wherefore, it is properly said, that they
" call Tyag a forsaking of the fruits of every action."