Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 2

Transcendental Knowledge

2.1Sanjaya describes Arjuna full of pity, with tears in his eyes and lost in sadness. Then Krishna, called Madhusūdana ("slayer of the demon Madhu"), begins to speak to him.Sanjaya
2.2Krishna asks Arjuna where this weakness has come from at such a dangerous moment. He says it is unworthy of a noble person, brings shame, and keeps one from heaven.Krishna
2.3Krishna tells Arjuna, whom he calls Pārtha ("son of Prithā") and Parantapa ("burner of foes"), not to give in to weakness because it does not suit him. He tells him to shake off this small-hearted fear and stand up.Krishna
2.4Arjuna asks Krishna how he can shoot arrows at Bhīshma, his great-uncle, and Drona, his teacher. These are men he should honor and respect.Arjuna
2.5Arjuna says it would be better to live as a beggar than to kill his noble teachers, who wish him well. Any riches he won by killing them would feel stained with their blood.Arjuna
2.6Arjuna says he does not know which is worse, winning or losing. If they killed their cousins, the sons of Dhritarāshtra, they would not even want to go on living.Arjuna
2.7Arjuna admits that weakness has taken over his heart and that he is confused about his duty. He asks Krishna to tell him clearly what is best, saying he is now Krishna's student and begs to be taught.Arjuna
2.8Arjuna says that even ruling the whole earth, or ruling over the gods (the "Shining Ones"), would not take away the deep pain that is drying up his senses.Arjuna
2.9Sanjaya says that Arjuna, called Gudākesha ("conqueror of sleep"), told Krishna "I will not fight!" and then fell silent.Sanjaya
2.10Sanjaya says that Krishna, called Hrishīkesha ("lord of the senses"), almost smiling, spoke to the sad Arjuna there between the two armies.Sanjaya
2.11Krishna tells Arjuna that he is grieving for people he does not need to grieve for, even though he talks like a wise man. Wise people do not grieve for the living or for the dead.Krishna
2.12Krishna says that he, Arjuna and all these kings have always existed. None of them will ever stop existing in the future.Krishna
2.13The soul living in the body goes through childhood, youth and old age. In the same way, at death it moves on to a new body, and a calm person is not upset by this.Krishna
2.14Krishna calls Arjuna "son of Kunti" (Kunti is Arjuna's mother). He says that when our senses meet the world, we feel cold and heat, pleasure and pain. These feelings come and go and do not last, so Arjuna should bear them bravely.Krishna
2.15A person who is not shaken by pain or pleasure stays steady and calm in both. That person is ready for eternal life.Krishna
2.16Things that are not real do not truly exist, and what is truly real never stops existing. People who see deeply into things have understood the difference.Krishna
2.17Krishna says the soul fills everything and cannot be destroyed. No one can destroy what lasts forever.Krishna
2.18Bodies come to an end, but the soul inside them is eternal, cannot be destroyed, and cannot be measured. So Krishna tells Arjuna to fight.Krishna
2.19Anyone who thinks the soul kills, or thinks the soul gets killed, does not understand. The soul does not kill, and it cannot be killed.Krishna
2.20The soul is never born and never dies. It has always been and will always be, and it is not killed when the body is killed.Krishna
2.21Krishna calls Arjuna "Partha," son of Pritha. He asks how a person who knows the soul is eternal and unborn could truly kill anyone or make anyone be killed.Krishna
2.22A person throws away worn-out clothes and puts on new ones. In the same way, the soul leaves worn-out bodies and enters new ones.Krishna
2.23Weapons cannot cut the soul and fire cannot burn it. Water cannot make it wet and wind cannot dry it.Krishna
2.24The soul cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried. It is eternal, present everywhere, steady, unmoving and very ancient.Krishna
2.25The soul cannot be seen, cannot be fully imagined, and never changes. Knowing this, Arjuna should not grieve.Krishna
2.26Krishna says that even if Arjuna thinks the soul is always being born and always dying, he still should not grieve.Krishna
2.27Everyone who is born will surely die, and everyone who dies will surely be born again. So Arjuna should not grieve over what cannot be avoided.Krishna
2.28Beings are unseen before birth, seen during their life, and unseen again after death. So there is no reason to weep.Krishna
2.29Some people see the soul as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, and some hear of it as a wonder. But even after hearing about it, no one truly understands it.Krishna
2.30The soul living in every body can never be harmed. So Arjuna should not grieve for any living being.Krishna
2.31Krishna tells Arjuna that, thinking of his own duty as a Kshattriya (a warrior whose role is to protect), he should not be afraid. For a warrior, nothing is better than a fight for what is right.Krishna
2.32Krishna says warriors are lucky when a righteous fight comes to them without their seeking it. Such a fight is like an open door to heaven.Krishna
2.33Krishna warns that if Arjuna refuses to fight this righteous battle, he will give up his duty and his honor, and that would be a sin.Krishna
2.34Krishna tells Arjuna that if he runs away, people will talk about his shame forever. For someone who is deeply respected, losing honor is worse than dying.Krishna
2.35Krishna warns that the great warriors who once admired Arjuna will think he ran away out of fear. They will stop respecting him.Krishna
2.36Krishna says Arjuna's enemies will mock him and say cruel things about his strength. He asks what could hurt more than that.Krishna
2.37Krishna tells Arjuna (called son of Kuntī, his mother) that he cannot lose by fighting. If he dies, he goes to heaven, and if he wins, he rules the earth, so he should stand up and fight with resolve.Krishna
2.38Krishna tells Arjuna to treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, winning and losing as the same. If he fights with this calm, steady mind, he will do no wrong.Krishna
2.39Krishna says he has explained things through Sānkhya, the path of knowing the true self. Now he will teach Yoga, the path of right action, which will free Arjuna from the trap that actions create.Krishna
2.40Krishna says no effort on this path is ever wasted, and nothing can go wrong by trying it. Even a little of this wisdom protects a person from great fear.Krishna
2.41Krishna, calling Arjuna joy of the Kurus (his family line), says a firm mind is focused on one goal. A person who can't decide has endless scattered thoughts going in every direction.Krishna
2.42Krishna says foolish people give fancy speeches and love only the surface words of the Vedas, the ancient holy texts. They claim there is nothing more to religion than that.Krishna
2.43Krishna says these people are driven by selfish desire and only want heaven as a reward. They promote many rituals just to gain pleasure and power.Krishna
2.44Krishna says people who cling to pleasure and power, and are carried away by such teachings, cannot develop a firm, focused mind for meditation.Krishna
2.45Krishna says the Vedas deal with the three qualities of nature (the gunas: goodness, passion and dullness). He tells Arjuna to rise above them and above opposites like hot and cold or praise and blame, to stay pure and steady, not worry about owning things, and rest in his true Self.Krishna
2.46Krishna says that for a wise person who knows the truth, the scriptures are like a small water tank in a place already flooded with water. They already have what the texts point to.Krishna
2.47Krishna says you have a right only to do your work, never to control its results. Don't work just for the reward, but don't stop working either.Krishna
2.48Krishna tells Arjuna (called Dhananjaya, winner of wealth) to act while connected to God, letting go of attachment and staying the same in success or failure. This steady balance is what yoga means.Krishna
2.49Krishna says action done for reward is far lower than action guided by wisdom. He tells Arjuna to rely on clear understanding, because people who work only for rewards are to be pitied.Krishna
2.50Krishna says a person joined with true wisdom goes beyond both good and bad deeds and their effects. So hold on to yoga, because yoga means doing actions skillfully.Krishna
2.51Krishna says wise people, joined with true understanding, give up the rewards of their actions. They become free from being born again and reach a state of peace and joy.Krishna
2.52Krishna says when Arjuna's mind gets free of this confusion, he will no longer care about everything he has heard or will hear from teachings and opinions.Krishna
2.53Krishna says Arjuna's mind is now confused by many scriptures. When it becomes still and steady in meditation, he will reach yoga.Krishna
2.54Arjuna asks Krishna (here called Keshava) to describe a person whose mind is calm and steady. How does such a person speak, sit and walk?Arjuna
2.55Krishna, called by Arjuna's family name Pārtha, is spoken to here, and Krishna answers. A person has a steady mind when they let go of all their cravings and feel content within themselves, without needing things from outside.Krishna
2.56A wise person with a steady mind is not shaken when bad things happen and does not chase after pleasures. They are free from strong craving, fear and anger.Krishna
2.57A person is truly balanced when they are not clingy about anything. Whether good or bad things happen, they do not get carried away by liking or disliking.Krishna
2.58A tortoise can pull its head and legs into its shell. In the same way, a wise person can pull their attention back from the things that tempt the senses. Then their mind is steady.Krishna
2.59A person who stays away from pleasures may stop having them, but the craving for them can still stay inside. Even that craving goes away once the person experiences the Supreme, the highest truth.Krishna
2.60Krishna warns Arjuna, called son of Kuntī after his mother, that the senses are powerful. Even a wise person who is trying hard can have their mind dragged away by them.Krishna
2.61So a person should control all their senses and sit with a calm mind, keeping Krishna as their highest goal. When someone is master of their senses, their mind stays steady.Krishna
2.62When a person keeps thinking about things they enjoy, they start to get attached to them. Attachment turns into wanting, and when the wanting is blocked, anger comes.Krishna
2.63Anger leads to confused thinking. Confused thinking makes a person forget what they have learned, then they lose good judgment, and losing good judgment ruins them.Krishna
2.64A disciplined person can live among all the things of the world without being pulled toward them or pushed away by them. Because they are in control of themselves, they find peace.Krishna
2.65When a person finds that peace, all their suffering comes to an end. A peaceful heart soon leads to a calm and steady mind.Krishna
2.66A person who is not self-controlled cannot think clearly or focus. Without focus there is no peace, and without peace there can be no real happiness.Krishna
2.67If the mind follows the wandering senses, it drags away a person's good sense. It is like strong wind pushing a ship off course on the sea.Krishna
2.68So, Arjuna, the person who has fully held back their senses from chasing pleasures has a steady and clear mind.Krishna
2.69What ordinary people ignore, as if asleep, is what the wise person stays awake to. And the things ordinary people are wide awake for seem like darkness to the wise person who truly sees.Krishna
2.70The ocean stays calm and full even though rivers keep flowing into it. In the same way, a person finds peace when desires come to them but do not disturb them. Someone who keeps chasing desires does not find peace.Krishna
2.71A person who gives up all cravings and lives without greed, without thinking 'this is mine', and without pride finds peace.Krishna
2.72Krishna tells Arjuna that this is the eternal, divine state. Someone who reaches it is never confused again. If a person is settled in it even at the moment of death, they reach Nirvāna, final union with the Eternal.Krishna