Spiga

Chapter 5: The Yoga of Work in Detachment

About the reality of detachment.

(1) Arjuna said: 'Krishna, You as well praise the renunciation of fruitive labor as the practice of yoga. Please tell me which one is definitely more beneficial of the two.'

(2) The Supreme Lord replied: 'Renouncing [the fruits] and also action in yoga lead both to the path of liberation, but compared to the renunciation of fruitive labor, the action in yoga is the better of the two.

(3) He should always be known as a renouncing one who never likes or dislikes and who is free from the duality, as certainly, o mighty armed one, he is happy who is liberated from being bound that way.

(4) The less intelligent see the analytic and the work of yoga as different, but not so the learned ones. Situated in either one of them one will enjoy the complete of the result of both.

(5) He who places what one achieves by analysis at the same level as what one achieves by work done in yoga and thus sees study and selfless action as one, actually sees it as it is.

Chapter 4: The Yoga of Knowledge

About sacrificing and the importance of knowledge

(1) The Supreme Lord said: 'This imperishable yoga I instructed to the sun-god [Vivasvan ] who told it to the father of mankind [Vaivasvata Manu] who in his turn said it to Ikshvaku [founder of the dynasty where Rama descended in].

(2) Thus one following the other, the saintly kings received this science understanding it that way but in the course of time in this world this great way of connecting oneself was scattered, o subduer of the enemies.

(3) This very same very old science of yoga today is spoken by Me to you as you are My devotee and friend as well and thus factually [you can come to understand] the mystery of this transcendence.'

(4) Arjuna said: 'Your birth came after the one before of Vivasvan. How must I understand Your instructing in the beginning thus?

(5) The Supreme Lord said: 'Many births of Mine and also of you have passed, o Arjuna, I know them all but you do not, o subduer of the enemy.

Chapter 3:The Yoga of Action

On mastering the intelligence

(1) Arjuna said: 'If being intelligent is considered better than doing fruitive work, as You said o Janardana, then why are You engaging me in this ghastly action Kesava?

(2) Surely you are confusing my intelligence with your equivocal words, therefore please make sure you tell me of one only so that I may really benefit from it.

(3) The Supreme Lord said: 'In this world there are two kinds of faith, as I told you before o sinless one, it is the linking of oneself in the knowledge of the analytic mind [to attain to stability of intelligence] and the connectedness in action [forsaking the desire for the fruits] as practiced by the devoted [the volition of yoga].

(4) Nor by forsaking work does a man attain to liberation nor does he attain to success by simply renouncing [the fruits].

(5) Surely no one is but for a moment without action and certainly everyone is irresistibly drawn to fruitive work [undergo karma] according the qualities born from the modes of nature.