Shrimad Bhagavad Gita · 72 verses
Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge
Krishna explains that the soul is eternal, urges Arjuna to do his duty, and teaches him to act without attachment to results. The chapter ends by describing a person of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna).
All verses, with meaning
2.1Krishna begins to speakSanjaya said: To Arjuna, overcome with pity, his eyes full of tears and his mind troubled,…2.2Where is this weakness from?Krishna said: Arjuna, where has this weakness come from at such a critical moment? It does…2.3Stand up, ArjunaDo not give in to cowardice, Partha; it does not suit you. Shake off this petty weakness o…2.4How can I fight elders?Arjuna said: Madhusudana, how can I shoot arrows in battle at Bhishma and Drona, who deser…2.5Better to beg than killIt is better to live by begging in this world than to kill these noble teachers. By killin…2.6Not knowing what is betterWe do not even know which is better for us — that we win or that they win. The sons of Dhr…2.7Arjuna becomes a discipleMy nature is weighed down by weakness and my mind is confused about my duty. I ask you: te…2.8Grief no kingdom can healI see nothing that can remove this grief that is drying up my senses, even if I won an unr…2.9I will not fightSanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Krishna, Arjuna said, 'I will not fight,' and fell sil…2.10Krishna smilesThen, between the two armies, Krishna, as if smiling, spoke these words to the grieving Ar…2.11The wise do not grieveYou grieve for those who should not be grieved for, and yet you speak words that sound wis…2.12We always existThere was never a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor these kings; nor will any of us …2.13Changing bodiesJust as the soul in this body passes through childhood, youth and old age, so it passes in…2.14Bear what comes and goesContact of the senses with their objects brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. These co…2.15Steady in pleasure and painThe steady person who is not shaken by these, who stays the same in pain and pleasure, bec…2.16Real and unrealThe unreal has no lasting existence, and the real never ceases to be. Those who see the tr…2.17The indestructibleKnow that what pervades this whole universe is indestructible. No one can destroy that whi…2.18Bodies end, soul does notThese bodies of the eternal, imperishable and immeasurable soul are said to have an end. S…2.19The soul is not killedOne who thinks the soul kills, and one who thinks it is killed — both do not understand. T…2.20The soul is eternalThe soul is never born and never dies; it did not come into being and will not cease to be…2.21Knowing the eternal soulPartha, how can a person who knows the soul to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and unch…2.22Like changing clothesJust as a person throws away worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul leaves worn-o…2.23Nothing can harm the soulWeapons cannot cut the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it and wind cannot dry …2.24The unchanging soulThe soul cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried. It is eternal, present everywhere, stable…2.25No cause for griefThe soul is called unseen, beyond thought and unchanging. Knowing it to be so, you should …2.26Even then, do not grieveAnd even if you think the soul is always being born and always dying, mighty Arjuna, you s…2.27Death is certainDeath is certain for one who is born, and birth is certain for one who dies. So you should…2.28Unseen before and afterBeings are unseen before birth, seen in the middle, and unseen again after death. What is …2.29The wonder of the soulSome see the soul as a wonder, some speak of it as a wonder, some hear of it as a wonder —…2.30The soul cannot be slainThe soul living in every body can never be killed, Arjuna. So you should not grieve for an…2.31Your own dutyLooking at your own duty as a warrior too, you should not waver. For a kshatriya there is …2.32A door to heavenFortunate are the warriors, Partha, who get such a war that comes on its own, like an open…2.33Avoiding duty brings sinBut if you do not fight this righteous war, you will give up your duty and your honour, an…2.34Dishonour worse than deathPeople will speak of your disgrace for ever, and for an honoured person, dishonour is wors…2.35Losing respectThe great warriors will think you ran from battle out of fear, and those who held you in h…2.36Mockery of enemiesYour enemies will say many unspeakable things about you and mock your strength. What could…2.37Rise with resolveIf you are killed, you will reach heaven; if you win, you will enjoy the earth. So rise, s…2.38Equal in win and lossTreat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat as the same, and then get ready…2.39Now hear about yogaThis is the wisdom of Sankhya (knowledge) that I have told you. Now hear the wisdom of yog…2.40No effort is wastedOn this path no effort is ever wasted and there is no harm from falling short. Even a litt…2.41A focused mindOn this path the mind is firmly set on one aim, Arjuna. But the thoughts of the undecided …2.42Flowery wordsThose without true understanding speak flowery words, delighting in the letter of the Veda…2.43Rituals for rewardsFull of desires and aiming at heaven, they praise many rituals that promise good birth, po…2.44Distracted by pleasureThose attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are carried away by such talk, cannot de…2.45Rise above the three gunasThe Vedas mostly deal with the three qualities of nature. Arjuna, rise above these three, …2.46The well and the floodFor one who knows the truth, the Vedas are as useful as a small well is when there is wate…2.47Your right is to actionYour right is only to your actions, never to their results. So do not make the result your…2.48Evenness is yogaSteady in yoga, do your work, Arjuna, giving up attachment and staying even-minded in succ…2.49Take refuge in wisdomAction done for its fruit is far lower than action guided by this wisdom of equanimity. Ta…2.50Yoga is skill in actionA person with this wisdom leaves behind both good and bad deeds even here. So devote yours…2.51Freedom from rebirthThe wise, joined with this understanding, give up the fruits born of action, are freed fro…2.52Crossing delusionWhen your mind crosses beyond the swamp of delusion, you will become indifferent to all yo…2.53A steady mindWhen your mind, now confused by many conflicting teachings, stands firm and unmoving in de…2.54Signs of steady wisdomArjuna said: Keshava, what are the signs of a person of steady wisdom who is fixed in deep…2.55Content withinKrishna said: When a person gives up all the desires of the mind and is content in the Sel…2.56Free from fear and angerOne whose mind is not shaken by sorrow, who does not crave pleasures, and who is free from…2.57Neither elated nor bitterOne who is unattached everywhere, who neither rejoices on getting good nor hates on gettin…2.58Like a tortoiseWhen a person can withdraw the senses from their objects completely, like a tortoise drawi…2.59Even the taste goesWhen a person stops feeding the senses, the objects fall away, but the taste for them rema…2.60The pull of the sensesArjuna, the restless senses can forcibly carry away the mind even of a wise person who is …2.61Senses under controlControlling all the senses, one should sit focused, with Me as the highest goal. One whose…2.62How desire leads to angerWhen a person keeps thinking about sense objects, attachment to them arises. From attachme…2.63The ladder of downfallAnger leads to confusion, confusion to loss of memory, loss of memory to the ruin of judge…2.64Free from like and dislikeBut a self-controlled person who moves among sense objects with senses free from liking an…2.65Peace ends sorrowIn that inner peace all sorrows come to an end, and the wisdom of one with a calm mind soo…2.66No peace, no happinessOne who is not disciplined has no steady wisdom and no deep devotion. Without devotion the…2.67Boat in the windJust as wind carries a boat away on water, even one wandering sense that the mind follows …2.68Mastery of the sensesSo, mighty Arjuna, one whose senses are fully held back from their objects has steady wisd…2.69Awake when others sleepWhat is night for all beings, the self-controlled person is awake to; and what all beings …2.70Like the oceanJust as rivers keep flowing into the ocean, yet it stays full and unmoved, the person into…2.71Without ego, find peaceOne who gives up all desires and lives free from craving, without the sense of 'mine' and …2.72The divine stateThis is the divine state, Partha. Having reached it, one is never deluded again. Abiding i…