||Yoga of Liberation By Renunciation|| -Chapter 18

“Acts of charity, penance, should not be renounced, but performed . Yagna, charity and penance purify even the great men among people.” -Verse 05

“All these acts should be performed renouncing the attachment to the fruit of actions. They should also be done as duty. And this in my opinion, O Partha is the best.” -Verse 06

“Renunciation of prescribed duties is not appropriate. Renunciation of such activities due to illusion is declared as tamas (ignorance).” -Verse 07

“Renunciation of action due to unhappiness and the fear that they cause physical discomfort is called rajasic renunciation and he will not gain the fruit of renunciation.” -Verse 08

“He who performs the prescribed actions considering them as obligatory duty and renounces all attachment to the fruit of his actions, such renunciation in my opinion is sattvic in nature.” -Verse 09

“Without aversion to unpleasant work and without attachment to pleasant work, the renouncer is well entrenched in sattva. He is intelligent and free from all doubts.” -Verse 10

“For the embodied, renunciation of all actions completely is not at all possible. But he who renounces the fruit of his actions is declared as the renouncer.” -Verse 11

“O Mighty Armed one, know from Me the five causes as declared in the Samkhya philosophy for the successful performance of all actions.” -Verse 13

“The field, the doer, the senses, numerous activities and the Divine, the fifth.” -Verse 14

“By the body and the mind whatever actions are performed by man, rightfully or wrongfully, these five are their causes.” -Verse 15

The being who because of his impure reason sees the Self as the doer is of imperfect understanding and he known not.” -Verse 16

“Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower are the three forces of karma. The senses, the work and the doer are the three aspects of karma.” -Verse 18

“In the philosophy of gunas, it is said that knowledge, action and doer are also of three types, according to the threefold division of gunas. Now hear about them as they are.” -Verse 19

“That knowledge is called sattvic by which one sees all beings situated in one inexhaustible Being and undivided among the divided.” -Verse 20

“Know that knowledge as rajasic by which one sees multiple existences as different entities due to divisions.” -Verse 21

“Engaging oneself fully in ones work as if it is the end of all, without any specific reason, with little or without any knowledge and purpose is called tamasic knowledge.” -Verse 22

“Disciplined, detached, without attraction or aversion, without any desire for the fruits of actions, such actions is called sattvic in nature.” -Verse 23

“Without the desire for the fruits of actions, with egoism, performing the same actions again and again with great labor, such action is called rajasic in nature.” -Verse 24

“Actions that are binding, destructive, cruel, without regard for consequences, initiated out of price, arrogance and delusion are called tamasic in nature.” -Verse 25

“Freed from attachment, without any egoism, filled with firmness and enthusiasm, without any feeling towards success or failure, such a doer is said to be a sattvic doer.” -Verse 26

“Passionate and attached to the fruits of work, greedy, violent, impure, subject to joy and sorrow, such a doer is declared to be of rajasic in nature.” -Verse 27

“Inappropriate, crude, stubborn, deceitful, malicious, lazy, morose, procrastinating – such a doer is called tamasic in nature.” -Verse 28

“The threefold division of intelligence and stability according to the gunas as described by Me in detail, now listen O Dhananjaya.” -Verse 29

“What should be done and what should not be in the performance of works, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, he who knows, his understanding, O Partha, is sattvic in nature.” -Verse 30

“What is dharma (righteousness), what is adharma (unrighteousness), what is work and what is not who knows it incorrectly, his intelligence, O Partha, is rajasic in nature.” -Verse 31

“The ignorant who considers adharma (unrighteousness) as dharma (righteousness) and in all respects is perverted, O Partha, his intelligence is tamasic in nature.” -Verse 32

“The firmness (will power) by which one holds the mind, prana, senses and all activities, through yoga, free from distraction, that firmness, O Partha, is sattvic in nature.” -Verse 33

“But for the sake of dharma, desires and wealth, O Arjuna, who wields his firmness, out of attachment, desiring the fruit of his actions, O Partha it is rajasic firmness.” -Verse 34

“And by which dreaming, fear, sorrow, grief, arrogance, one does not give up – the firmness of that foolish person is tamasic in nature.” -Verse 35

“Now hear from Me, O Best Among the Bharatas, the three kinds of happiness, by the practice of which one enjoys and also achieves the ending of sorrow.” -Verse 36

“That which is like poison in the beginning but in the end becomes like nectar, that happiness is said to be sattvic in nature, which gives rise to self-knowledge and bliss.” -Verse 37

“Born out of attachment with sense objects, which is like nectar in the beginning and becomes like poison in the end, that happiness is regarded as rajasic in nature.” -Verse 38

“That happiness which deludes the self from the beginning to the end, born of sleep and laziness, is quoted as tamasic happiness.” -Verse 39

“There is none either on earth or in the world of Gods, who is free from the influence of these three gunas born of Prakriti.” -Verse 40

“Better is ones dharma even if devoid of merits, than another’s dharma perfectly performed. By doing the works according to ones nature one is not tainted by sin.” -Verse 47

“O Kaunteya, one should not give up ones duty which is born out of one nature. All actions have some defect or the other just as fire is always enveloped by smoke.” -Verse 48

“He whose intellect is disinterested, who has subdued his self, free from desires attains through renunciation the state of freedom from action and reaction.” -Verse 49

“Now try to understand from Me in brief, O Kaunteya, how one who has achieved perfection can attain Brahm, the highest state of knowledge and transcendence.” -Verse 50

“With intelligence purified, engaged in self-control with determination, giving up the sense objects such as sound etc, setting aside hatred and attachment.” -Verse 51

“Residing in solitary places, eating lightly, restraining speech, the body and the mind, always engaged in transcendental meditation and sheltered in detachment.” -Verse 52

“Freed from egoism, force, arrogance, desire, anger and greed for material things, without possessiveness, peaceful – such a person is qualified for realization of Brahm.” -Verse 53

“Attaining Brahm, immersed in bliss, he neither thinks nor desires, equally disposed towards all beings, he gains My Supreme Devotion (attention).” -Verse 54

“Through devotion, he realizes Me, all that is to be known about Me in truth. Knowing Me thus in truth, he enters into Me.” -Verse 55

“Mentally renouncing all actions to Me, under My protection, through buddhi yoga (equanimity of mind), he becomes established in My consciousness always.” -Verse 57

“O Arjuna, the Supreme lord is seated in all beings and by the force of Maya, He moves all beings as if they are riding on a machine.” -Verse 61

“You should seek refuge in Him alone, with all your being. O Bharata, by His grace you will attain the state of Supreme and Eternal Peace.” -Verse 62

“Whoever preaches this most secret knowledge among My devotees, with supreme devotion shall come to Me only. Of this there is no doubt.” -Verse 68

“He who studies this righteous dialogue of ours, has worshipped Me through knowledge and sacrifice. This is My opinion.” -Verse 70

“With faith and without envy who hears thus, he thus liberated, attains the auspicious worlds which are attained through good deeds.” -Verse 71