SIXTEENTH CHAPTER DEVA AND ASURA (The Gita has "insisted on doing all actions, sarvani karmam, kritsnakrit; it has said that in whatever way the perfected Yogin lives and acts, he lives and acts in God. This can only be, if the nature also in its dynamics and workings becomes divine, a power imperturbable, intangible, inviolate, pure and untroubled by the re- actions of the inferior Prakriti. How and by what steps is this most difficult transformation to be effected ? What is this last secret of the soul's perfection ? What the principle or the process of this transmutation of our human and earthly nature ? The sattwic quality is a first mediator be

FOURTH CHAPTER THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SACRIFICE (The Gita now proceeds to give an elaborate explanation of the meaning of Yajna which leaves no doubt at all about the symbolic use of the words and the psychological character of the sacrifice enjoined "by this teaching.) Brahman is the giving, Brahman is the food-offering, by Brahman it is offered into the Brahman-fire, Brahman is that which is to be attained by samadhi in Brahman-action.1 ________________________________________ 1. This then is the knowledge in which the liberated man I has to do works of sacri

THIRTEENTH CHAPTER THE FIELD AND ITS KNOWER 1. Arjuna1 said: Prakriti and Purusha, the Field and the Knower of the Field, Knowledge and the object of Knowledge, these I fain would learn, 0 Keshava. 2. The Blessed Lord said: This body,2 0 son of Kunti, is called the Field; that which takes cognizance of the Field is called the Knower of the Field by the sages. _______________________________________________ 1 Arjuna has been asked to do divine work as the instrument of the divine Will in the cosmos. As a pragmatic and practical man he asks to learn the actual difference between Purusha and Prakriti, the Field

SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER THE GUNAS, FAITH AND WORKS (The Gita has made a distinction between action according to the license of personal desire and action done according to the. Shastra. But we see also that there is a freer tendency in man other than the leading of his desires and other than his will to accept the Law, the fixed idea, the safe governing rule of the Shastra. The individual frequently enough, the community at any moment of its life is seen to turn away from the Shastra, becomes impatient of it, loses that form of its will and faith and goes in search of another law which it is now more disposed to accept as the right rule of living

NINTH CHAPTER WORKS, DEVOTION AND KNOWLEDGE (All the truth that has developed itself at this length step by step, each bringing forward a fresh aspect of the integral knowledge and founding on it some result of spiritual state and action, has now to take a turn of immense importance. The Teacher therefore takes care first to draw attention to the decisive character of what he is about to say, so that the mind of Arjuna may be awakened and attentive. For he is going to open his mind to the knowledge and sight of the integral Divinity and lead up to the vision of the eleventh book, by which the warrior of Kurukshetra becomes i conscious of t

FIFTH CHAPTER RENUNCIATION AND YOGA OF WORKS Arjuna said: Thou declarest to me the renunciation of works, O Krishna, and again thou declarest to me Yoga; which one of these is the better way, that tell me with a clear decisiveness.1 The Blessed Lord said: Renunciation and Yoga of works both bring about the soul's salvation, but of the two the Yoga of works is distinguished above the renunciation of works. __________________________________________ 1: Arjuna is perplexed; here are desireless works, the principle of Yoga, and renunciation of works, the principle of Sankhya, put tog

FOURTH CHAPTER I. THE POSSIBILITY AND PURPOSE OF AVATARHOOD 1. The Blessed Lord said: This imperishable Yoga 1I gave to Vivasvan (the Sun-God), Vivasvan gave it to Manu (the father of men), Manu gave it to Ikshvaku (head of the Solar line). 2. And so it came down from royal sage to royal sage till it was lost in the great lapse of Time, 0 Parantapa. This same ancient and original Yoga has been today declared to thee by Me, for thou art My devotee and My friend; this is the highest secret.2 _____________________________________________ 1 In speaking of this Yoga in

GLOSSARY (Proper names are given in capitals, words with English terminations in italics.) abhayam—fearlessness. abhyasa—Yogic practice. acharya—teacher. ahankara—the ego-sense, egoism. ahinsa—non-violence. akarta—a non-doer. Akshara—the immobile, the immutable. ananda—spiritual delight, the bliss of the Spirit. anisha—not lord, not master of but subject to the nature. anumanta—giver of sanction. apana—the incoming breath. artha—self-interest. Asura—a hostile being of the mental world. Asuric—relating to, of the nature of the Asuras. Atman—the Self or Spirit. avatara—descent or incarnat

INTRODUCTION It may be useful in approaching an ancient Scripture, such as the Veda, Upanishads or Gita to indicate precisely the spirit in which we approach it and what exactly we think we may derive from it that is of value to humanity and its future. First of all, there is undoubtedly a Truth one and eternal which we are seeking, from which all other truth derives, by the light of which all other truth finds its right place, explanation and relation to the scheme of knowledge. But precisely for that reason it cannot be shut up in a single trenchant formula, it is not likely to be found in its entirety or in all its bearings in any single philosophy or scripture or