The Bhagavad Gita - Forgotten Books

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‘HE BHAGAVAD GITAI\VITH

ANENGL !SHTRANSLATION , EXPLANATORY NOTES ,ANDANEXAMINATION OF ITS DOCTRINES .

C OMP I L ED F ROMVARIO USWR IT ERS .

It is s hown t ha t t he Po em , while it cont a ins s om e no b le s ent im ent s , t e a che s

Po lyt he ism and Pant he ism ; t ha t G od a nd t he s o u l a re one ; t ha t Ra ja s a nd

m a s pfljce e dfrom G od a s we l l a s S a t twa ; t ha t C a s t e is a d ivine ins t it ut ion ;while it s Yoga d oc t rine is prove d t o b e a d e lus ion.

‘m “g“ t“\d ‘watw ‘flhv“a

TIAN L ITERATURE SOCIETY F O R INDIA:L ONDONANDMADRAS .

rgo o .

Pr ice 3Anna s Pos t-free , 4Anna s .

T he.

S a cred B ooks ofthe Ea st Described and Exam ined .

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THE BHAGAVAD GITA2WITH

ANENGLlSHTRANSLATION , EXPLANATORYNOTES,ANDANEXAMINATION OF ITS DOCTRINES.

C OMPIL ED F ROMVARIO USWRIT‘

ERS .

It is s hown t ha t t he Poem , wh ile it cont a ins\

s om e no b le s ent im ent s , t e a che s

Po lyt he ism and Pant he ism ; t ha t G od a nd t he s oul a re one ; t ha t Ra ja s and

T a m a s proce ed from G od a s we l l a s S a t twa ; t ha t Ca s t e is a d ivine ins t it ut ion ;

wh ile it s Yoga doct rine is proved t o b e a de lus ion.

S ECO ND EDIT IO N , T O TAL C O PIE S,

THE CHRISTIAN L ITERATURE SOCIETY F OR INDIA :

L ONDONANDMADRAS .

PREFAC E .

T he B hagavad Gita ,T he Divine Song

,

’or ‘

T he Song of theAdorable One

,

’is allowed to represent the loftiest flight ofHindu

philosophy . It consi sts of a supposed dialogue between Arjunaand Krishna . Its grea t aim is to harmonise the doctrines of theY oga , the Sankhya and the Vedanta

,combining with them the

doctrine of faith (bha kti) in Krishna , and of stern devotion to casteduties .

T he author also saw that the pure ab straction of a religiousdevotee was not possible for all men ,

and that it wa s opposed to thejust claims of family and caste .He contended still that mentaldevotion (buddhi yoga ) was the b est , but that devotion by work(ka rm a yoga ) might al so lead to the great blessing of m rvana .

But all work must be done without ‘ attachment ? (s anga ) , sim plyas a duty

,and especially without any desire for 1 ewa rd (pha la ,

fruit) “ .But though works are so far admitted into his system,the

highest state below is that of perfect repose , with constancy inmedi tating on the Supreme ; and his highest type of m an i s therecluse (m uni) , taking

o

up a solitary resting pla ce far from thehaunts of men

,renouncing all the blessings of this world

,and even

hope itself,holding the m ind ln check until thought ceases

,and

thus waiting in p1ous ab straction for the happy hour when he willbe absorbed into the infinite

T he author, although in some respects in advance of his age ,was a Vaishnava Brahman

, who held the usual polytheistic andpantheistic ideas . T o gain authority, his Opinions were attributedto Krishna

,and the poemwa s foi sted in as part of the Mahabharata .

ENGL I SHT RAN SLAT I ONS .

Ofthese there have been several T he first was made in 1 785,by S ir CharlesWilk ins , to which wa s prefixed an IntroductionbyWarrenHastings . T hi s forms the basi s of the translation in thisvolume , but it has been carefully revised by comparing it withmore recent t ranslations . It has been taken from an edition editedby the Rev.J. Garrett m 1846

,containing the Sanskrit

,Canarese ,

and English 1n parallel columns,for a copy of which the compilei

i s indebted to ColonelJa cob t ranslator of theVedanta Sm a .

3“Introduction t o the Transla tion by Davies , pp . 10,1 1 .

iv PRE F ACE .

T he next translation was made byMr .J. C . T h0 111psonin 1855,and published by T rfibne r .Mr . Ka sina th T rimbak T elang , ofBombay

,published an English translation m 1875 T his , p1 0b ab ly

revised,was adopted 111 1887 by Max Muller 1n the Sacre d Books

of the East . T he author , in the Preface , gives the followingaccount of the general principles followed in the translation :

My a im ha s been to make tha t transla tion a s clo s e and l itera l a rendering a s po ss ible ofthe 0 115, a s interpreted by the commenta to rs S ank a rakarya ,

Sridhara svam in, andMadhusfidana Sa ra sva ti . Reference ha s a l so beenfr equently m ade to the commenta ry ofRam anugakarya and a lso t o tha t ofNilak antha .

”

(p.

T here are numerous notes and two useful indexes . T ransla

tions of the Sana t sugat iya andAnugita are appended . T he

volum e i s published by the C larendon Press,price 108 . 6d . It is

strongly recommended to the student .

In 1882,a translation was published by the Rev. John Davies

in T r iibner’s Oriental Series . T he translation is excellent , andthere are numerous valuable notes . It is now issued by KeganPaul 0 0 ,

price 63 .

About 1888 , a translation , with commentary by J.M.Chatterj i , was published by T riibner .

In 1895 a translation , professedly by Mrs . Besant , was published by the T heosophical Publishing Society , London , price 6d .

cheap edition . She acknowledges that her knowledge ofSanskrit 1s imperfect ; but her translation has passed through thehands of Indian gentlemen whose names are given . Many of thetechnical terms are retained . Some of the renderings are happilyexpressed .

During the same year a translation , price 1 4 annas , editedand publi shed by Manmatha Nath Dut t

,M.A.

,appeared in

Calcutta .

T here i s a very free poetical translation by Sir Edwin Arnold,

entitled T he S ong Celes tia l .

T he translations differ considerably with regard to particularverses . Indian commentators belonging to the Dwa it a ,Adwaita ,andVisishtadwa it a Sects , try to make the poem express

.

their ownviews . T he main features of the work

,however

,are given

,more

or less correctly , in all of them .

C ONT ENT SINTRODUCT ION

THEMAHABHARATATHE NARRATIVE PRIOR TO THE BHAGAVAD GITASUMMARY O F THE BHAGAVAD GITA

THE BHAGAVAD GITA

THE GRIEF O F ARJUNATHE SANKHYA-YOGA DOCTRINETHE Y O GAO F AC T IO N

THE YOGA O F KNOWL EDG EY O GAB Y RENOUNC INGWORKSYOGA B Y SELF -RE STRAINTYOG A THRO U GHSPIRITUAL DISCERNMENTTHE Y O GAO F THE SUPREME ETERNAL B RAHMAYOGA THROU G H THE ROYAL KNOWL EDG E AND THE ROYALMY STERYYOGA B Y THE DIVINE PERF EC T IO’NSTHEMAN IF E STATION 0 1

"THE UN IVERSAL F ORM

THE Y O GAO FWORSHIPYOGA O F THE D IS T INCT IO N B ETWEENTHE KSHET RAAND THEKSHET RAJNA

XIV YOGA B Y SEPARATION F ROMTHE T HREE GUNASYOGA IN ATTAINING PURU SHO T TAMATHE YOGA O F D IVIS IO N B ETWEENG ons AND ASURASYOGA B Y THE THREEF OLD KIND S O F F AITHTHE YOGA O F L IB ERATION B Y RENUNC IATION

THE BHAGAVAD GITA EXAMINED .

INTRODUCT ION1 . ARJUNAMORE HUMANE T HAN KRISHNA2 . KRISHNA’S REASONINGWITH ARJUNA3. THE T RUTHO F POL Y THE ISMACKNOWLEDGED4 . PANTHEI SM TAUGHT

VI CONTENTS .

KRISHNA’S INCARNATION SCREATIONTHE T HREE GUNAS PROCEED F ROMKRISHNAKRISHNA ALIKE TO AL L ,WITH ITS CONTRADICTIONTHE SO ULTRANSMIG RATIONMUKTI

,THE G REAT AIM O F THE BHAGAVAD GITA

ENCO URAG EMENT O F Y O GAEXERC ISE SACT IO NS PERF ORMEDWI THO U T ATTACHMENT (SANG A)DO NOT DEF IL E

14 . CASTE ALLEG ED TO B EAD IVINE IN STITUTION1 5 . THE B ENE F IT O F SHRADDHAS1 6 . THEVALUE O F B HAKTI1 7 . KNOWL EDG E REDUCE S S IN TO ASHE S18 . DY ING IN THE L IG HT AND DARK F ORTNIG HTS

PRO O F S THAT THE BHAGAVAD GITA I SNO T A DIVINEREVEL AT ION

THE TRUE INCARNAT ION

L IST O F PUB LICAT IONS F OR INDIANREADERS

THE BHAGAVAD G ITA.INT R O DU C T I ONTHEMAHAB HARAT A .

T he BHAGAVAD G ITA ,

‘

the Divine Song ,’or T he Song of the

Adorable One,

’is an episode in the sixth book , or B hishm a P a rva

,

of the Mahabha rata , T he great (wa r of the) Bharata s ,’ probably

the longest epi c poem in the world . It 1s divided into 18 P a rva sor books

,and contains about lines . T he reputed author 18

Kri shna Dwa ipayana (Is land borh ) , theVyasa , or arranger , of theVeda s . T he lea ding subjeot is the great war between the Kurusand Pandavas for the possession of the kingdom whose capital wasHa stinapura (elephant city) . It is called the war of the Bharatas

,

”

from Bharata,a prince of the lunar race from whom the con

tending parties were descended . A supplementary ‘ Pa rva,theHarivansa ,

details at great length the genealogy , birth , and lifeof Krishna .

T heWo rk ofdiffe rentAut ho rs .—Dowson says , Different

poets of different ages have added to it , and embelli shed it by thepowers of their imagination . Great additions have been made lnlater times . T he B hagavad Gita and the episode of Nala withsome others

,are the productions of later wri ters ; theHarivansa ,

which affects to be a part of the Mahabharata , i s of still later date ,and besides these it cannot be doubted that numerous interpolations

,

from single verses to long passages , have been made to uphold andfurther the religious 0p1nions of sects and individuals . T o use thewords of Max Muller

, T he epi c character of the story has throughout been changed ah d almost obliterated by the di dactic tendencies of the latest editors , who were clearly Brahmans brought upin the strict school of the laws of Manu .

T he poem i tself mentions that when it was recited byVa isampayana as he had been taught it byVyasa ,

it contained onlyverses . T he Calcutta edition now contains verses

,

exclusive of theHarivansa . T his shows how numerous have beenthe additions .

T he date of the Mahabha rata i s uncertain . Some portions ofi t may be as old as 400 B . C . ; the larger portion i s probably asold as 2 00 B . 0 .

at: Cla ssica l Dictiona ry ofHinduMythology, p. 189 .

2 THE BHAGAVAD G ITA .

Age a ndAutho rship oft he B ha gava d G it a .—Mr . T elang , in

the Introduction to his T ranslation of the B hagavad Gita ln T he

Sacred Books of the Ea st,makes the following admissions

It ha s become qui te a li tera ry commonpla ce , tha t -t o bo rrow the wo rds ofPro fesso rMax Muller in one ofhis r ecent lectures—histo ry , in the o rdina rys ens e ofthe wo rd , is a lmo st unknown in Indian mu ch iscerta in, tha t the student ofthe B hagavad G ita must ,for the present , go Without tha t rel iable histo rica l i nfo rma tion touching the au tho r ofthe wo rk , thetime a t which it wa s compo s ed , and even the pl a ce it o ccupies in li tera ture ,which one na tur a lly des ir es , when entering upon the study ofanyThere is no exa ggera tion in saying , tha t i t is a lmo st im po ssibl e t o lay downeven a s ingl e propo sition respecting any im po rtant ma tter connected with theB hagavad G ita, about which something l ik e a consensus ofopinion amongpersons qua lifi ed t o judge can be sa id t o exist .

”

p . 1 .Mr . T elang , to form approximate conclusions as to the age ofthe poem , considers it under the following heads :

1 . T he general character of the Grita with reference to it smode of handling i t s subj ect .

2 . Its style and language .

3 . T he nature of theve rsifica t ion.

4 . T he attitude towards the Vedas,caste

, 81 0 .

T he result of hi s investigation is that he groups the poem withthe Upanishads , placing it before the systemati sed philosophy oflater times . In a note he says

Ih the edition o i. the G ita publ ished in Bombay ih Saka 1 782 , there I Sa stanza which says tha t the Upam sha ds are the cows , Krishna the rhilkm an,

Arjuna the ca l f , and the m ilk is the necta r like G ita, which indica tes thetra ditiona l view ofthe G ita—a view in consonance with tha t which we ha vebeen led t o by the fa c ts and a rgum ents conta ined in this Introduction.

”

p . 34.Mr . T elang considers that the Gita wa s written not later thanthe 2 nd century before Christ . On the other hand some eminentOrientalists place it a s late as the second century after the Christianera . It i s claimed tha t there are references to the Y avana s , whosekingdom was established 1 60 B . c .

, and to the Andhra king ofMagadha ,who succeeded the Kanwas , B . C . 2 8

,and continued to

bear rul e for 2 56 years .Me t re . T he metre , says Davies , used for the most partin the B hagavad Gita i s the common heroic form called S loka orAnushtub , consi sting of two lines of sixteen syllables each

,with a

caesura at the end of the eighth foot . Its form i s this

each line being the same .

In the more lyrical parts another form is used , calledT r ishtubh, conta ining eleven syllables in each half line or pa daA common vari ety i s of the following form

INTRODUCTION .

A ca sura being generally found at the fifth syllable .

THENARRAT IVE PRIO R T O THE BHAGAVAD GITA .

Krishna Dwa ipayanaVya sa i s not only supposed to be theauthor of the Maha bha rata , but the source from which the chiefa ctors sprung .He was a rishi , l iving in the jungle , terrible inappearance .He wa s a sked to rai se up children to his half brotherby his two widows . T he elde r widow wa s so frightened that sheshut her eyes when he came to her . She had a blind son Whowa s name d Dhritarashtra . T he younger widow kept her eyesopen

,but she turned so pale tha t her son was called Pandu , the

pale.

’As Dhrita rashtra wa s blind , Pandu came to the throne , b utan account of a curse , he retired to the forest , and Dh1 itara shtrabecame king .

Dhrita rashtra’s wife asked as a boon fromVyasa a hundredsons . After two years she gave birth to a lurnp of fle sh , whichVya sa divided into 101 parts , ea ch about the s1ze of the thumb .

T hese were put into pots of ghi , and opened after two years .Duryodhana wa s the first born . As soon as he wa s born he beganto bray like an a ss , which led all the asses and j ackals that heardhim to imitate him . Afterwards 99 other sons were born and adaughter .

Jr T he sons of Dhritarashtra

,from their ance stor Kuru

,

were known a s the Kurus or Kauravas . Pandu had two wives ,Kunti and Madri

,but he did not consort with them .His wives

had 5 sons , attributed to different gods , but Pandu acknowledgedthem

,and they were called Pandavas . Yudhishthira (firm in

fight) , the eldest wa s said to be the son'

of Dharma,the judge of

the dead,and wa s considered a pattern of justice . Bhima (the

terrible) , the second , wa s son of Vayu , the god of the wind , andwa s noted for his strength . Arjuna (the bright) , the third , wasthe son of Indra

,and wa s noted for his bravery and high-minded

ness . Nakula and Sahadeva,the fourth and fifth sons , were the

children of theAswins .

Dhritarashtra educated the five Pandavas with his own sons .T he teacher was a Brahman

,named Drona

,who found in the

Pandavas apt pupils . T he sons of Dhritarashtra becoming jealousof the Pandavas when t heir father named Yudhishthira as the heirapparent , he had to send them away lest they should he murderedby his sons . At a Swayamvara the Pandavas won the princessDraupa di . T hey told Kunt i that they had made a great acquisition, and she unwittingly directed them to share it among themso Draupadi became the wife of the five sons .

Introduction to Transla tion, p. 1 6 .

1 See Transla tion ofthe Mahabhara ta ,Adi Pa rva , pp. 338 , 339 .


Dhritarashtra then divided his kingdom,his sons receivingHa stinapura and the Pandavas , Indrapra sht a , on the Y amuna ,

close t o the modern Delhi .Yudhishthira having conquered many countries

,wished to

perform the Raja suya sacrifice , thus claiming to be a king overk ings . T he Kurus then prevailed upon Yudhishthira to gamble

,

when he lost his wealth,his palace

,his kingdom

,his brothers

,

himself , and , last of all , his wife , who was ignominiously treated .

T hrough Dhritarashtra , Yudhishthira’s dominions were restored

,

but he was once more tempted to play on condition that if he lost,

he and his brothers should pass twelve years in the forest,and

remain incogni to during the thirteenth year . In the 13th yearthey entered the service of king Virata in disgui se . Arjuna

,

declaring himself a eunuch , put on a woman’s dr ess

,and said he

would tell the king,i f asked

,that he lived as a waiting maid of

Draupadi in Yudhishthira’s palace .

T he time of exile having expired,the princes made themselves

known to Virata , who agreed to help them to recover their kingdom .

T he preparations for war on b oth sides are described in the fifthBook , called Udyoga Pa rc an,

‘ Effort Book .

’

Ah assembly of the princes was called by Virata,at which the

Pandavas , Krishna and Balarama were present . Krishna counsellednegotiation ; but the feeling was in favour of war , and both sidessought allies . Duryodhana and Arjuna came both to Dwarak a toseek the help of Krishna . T hey reached the door of Krishna’sapartment at the same moment when he was asleep . Duryodhanaentered first , and took up his station at Krishna

’s head . Ar junafollowed behind

,and stood at Krishna’s feet . Onwaking , Krishna

’s

eyes first fell on Arjuna . Duryodhana requested Kr ishna’s aid inbattle a s he had first entered the room . Krishna answered that ashe had seen Arjuna first

,he should give him the choice of two things .

O u the one side he placed himself, but without fight ing,and on the

other his army of a hundred million warriors,named Narayans .

Arjuna chose Krishna,and Duryodhana joyfullyaccepted the army .

Krishna wondered that Ar juna had chosen him ,since he was

pledged not to fight . Arjuna replied that he hoped Krishna wouldact as hi s charioteer which he consented to do .

Before war was commenced , an ambassador was sent to theKurus , asking them to give back to the Pandavas their familyinheritance . When this failed , Krishna himself went , but wasequally unsuccessful . On his return to the Pandavas , he inform edYudhishthira that the army of the Kurus was assembling at Kurukshe tra , a vast plain north-west of Delhi .

T he war wa s ushered in by strange portents . T he moon

See Transla tion ofVirata Pa rvan, pp. 4, 5.

INTRODUCTION . 5

looked like fire , asses were born from cows , horses were born withhorns and three legs ; women gave birth to monsters .Before the war commenced ,Vyasa offered to Dhritarashtra to

restore his sight that he might see the fight with his own eyes buton Dhritarashtra’s expressing his unwillingness

,one Sanjaya wa s

deputed to relate t o him what happened .

SUMMARY O F THE BHAGAVAD G ITA .

T he great aim of the book is to harmonize the doctrines ofthe Y oga , the Sankhya , and the Vedanta , combining with themthe doctrine of faith (bha k tz) in Kr i shna , and of st ern devotion tocaste duties (dha rm a ) .

T he poem is divided into three sections , each containing sixchapters

,the philosophical teaching in each being somewhat

distinct . T he number of the verses is 700.

T he first section dwells chiefly on the benefits of the Yogasystem

,pointing out , however , that the asceticism and self-m ort ifi

cat ion of Yoga ought to be j oined with action and the performanceof caste duties , and winding up with a declaration that the grandaim of all self—suppression i s to attain tha t state which enables aman to annihilate his own individuality and se e God in everythingand everything in God . Arjuna is exhorted

,a s a member of the

soldier-caste,to dismiss all doubt about the propriety of fight ing

and killing hi s relatives,by an argument drawn from the eternal

existence of the soul .In the 2 md and 6th chapters the duty of Y oga

,or ‘ intense

concentration of the mind on one subj ect’ (via ,the Supreme Be ing

,

here identified with Krishna) , i s enj oined , till a t last the great endof freedom from all thought

,perfect calm

,and absorption in the

Deity is obtained .

In the second division the pantheistic doctrines of the Vedantaare more direc tly inculca ted than in the other sections . Krishnahere

,in the plainest language , claims adoration a s one with the

great universal Spirit,pervading and constituting the universe .He reveals himself to Arjuna as possessed of countless faces

,

countless mouths,countless eyes , and blazing like a thousand

suns .T he third divi sion of the poem ,

comprising the six last chapters

,aims particularly at interweaving sankhya doctrines with theVe danta

,though this i s done more or les s throughout the work .

It accepts the doctrine of a supreme presiding Spirit (calledP a r am B r a hm a. orAdhydtm an

,Xii i . 1 2 ,vi ii . as the first source of

the universe,but assert s the eternal existence of Prakriti and

Purusha— that i s , of an original eternal element and soul—bothemanating from the Supreme Being (then regarded as PamPr a km

'

ti,supreme Prakriti) . It maintains the individuality and


pe rsona lity of souls , and affirms that the body (kshetr a ) and all theworld of s ense is evolved out of Prakriti by the regula r S inkhyaprocess , through Buddhi , Ahankara , the five sub tile elements

,the

five grosser elements , and the eleven organs , including mind .

*

Abridged from Ind ianWisd om ,by SirM. Monier-Willi ams

, pp. 1 2 7-140.

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who a re the most distinguished . I will mention a few of those whoa re amongst my generals

,by way of example .

8 T here is thyself,

1

B hishm a and Ka rna3 and Kripa , conquer1ng1n battle , andAswa tthaman5 and Vikarna

,and the son of Som ada t ta

,9with others ln

vast numbers who for my servi ce have forsaken the love of life .

T hey a re a ll of them practised ln the use of a rms,and experienced

1n every mode of fight .

10 O ur innumerable forces are commandedby B h1shm a , and the inconsiderable army of ourfoe s is led by Bhima .

1 1 L e t all the generals,

a ccording to the ir respective divisions ,stand 1n their posts , and one and a ll resolve to support B hishm a .

”

1 9 T he anci ent chief and brother of the grandsire of the Kurus,

then , shouting with a voice like a roaring lion , blew his shell toraise the spirits of the Kuru chief 13 and instantly innumerableshells , and other wa rlike instruments , were struck up on all side s ,so that the clangour was excessive .

14At thi s time Madhaya6 andArjuna were standing m a Splendid cha riot , drawn by white horses .T hey also sounded their shells

,which were of cele stia l form '

: 1 5 thename of the one which was blownbyHrishik e sha ,’wa sPanchajanya8and tha t o t ananjaya

9 wa s ca lledDevada t t a .

1 0 1 6Bhima, ofdre ad

ful deeds,blew hi s capacious shell Paundra ,

and Yudhisht ira ,

1 1 theroyal son of Kunti

,soundedAnantav1jaya 1 2 Nakula and Sahadeva 1 3

blew their shell s also ; the one ca lled Sugho sha , the other Manipushpak a .

‘ 5 17 T he prince of Kasi of the mighty bow , Sak andin,

Dri shtadyum na , Virata , S a tyak i of invincible a rm .

18Drupada and the sons of his roya l daughter , Krishna , withthe son of Subhadra, and all the other chiefs and nobles , blew a l sotheir respective shells . 19 So that their shrill-sounding voicespierced the hearts of the Kurus

,and re -echoed with a dreadful

noise from heaven to earth .

2 0 In the meantime Arjuna,he whose ensign is an ape ,

perceiving that the sons of Dhritarashtra stood ready to begin thefight , and that the weapons began to fly abroad , having taken uphis bow

,2 1 [addressed Krishna m the following words

1 Duryodhana .

2 B h1shm a,the commander ! ln chief ofthe a rmy of

Duryodhana , grea t uncle t o the sons ofPah du , wa s sla in on the tenth day oftheba ttle by Arjuna .

3 Ka rna wa s sa id t o be the son ofS 1’i rya and Kunt1 .He wa s king ofthe Angacountry.

4Kripa , king ofthe Panchala s , wa s a brother ofDrona’s wife .5Asva tham an wa s a son ofDrona .

6 Krishna wa s ca lled Madhaya , because he slew a demon ca lled Madhu .

7 A name ofKrishna ,the meaning ofwhich is disputed .Hindu comm enta tors

give , lord ofthe senses ofperception.

”

8Aconch sa id t o have been fo rmed ofthe bones ofthe demon Panchajana .

9 The conquero r ofwea lth ,” a name o ften given t o Arjuna .

1 ° G od-given, because the gift ofhis fa ther Indra .

1 1 Yudhisht ira wa s the eldest ofthe three sons ofKunti .1 2 Endless victory .

” 13 N akul a and Sahadeva were the twin sons ofMadri, thesecond wife ofPandu .

l 4= “ I~Ioney-tone .

” 15 Jewel -blossom .

” 16Arjuna’s standa rdhad an ape hence he wa s ca l led Kapadhwaja (ape-bannered) .

L ECT URE L 9

I pray thee , OAchyuta , cause my chariot to be driven andplaced between the two armi es , 9 2 that I may behold who are themen that stand ready

,anxious to commence the bloody fight ; and

with whom it i s that I am to fight ; 2 3 and who they are that arehere assembled to support the vindic t ive son of Dritara shtra inthe battle .

SANJAYAsai d2 4Krishna

,being thus addressed by G udak e sa

,

2 drove thechariot ; and , having caused it to halt 1n the m idst of the spa ce infront of the two armies , 95 bade Arjuna cast his eyes towards theranks of the Kurus , and behold where stood the aged B hism a , andDrona

,with a ll the chief nobles of their party .

96He looked atboth the a rmies , and beheld, on either side , none but grandsires ,uncles

,cousins

,tutors

,sons

,and brothers , near relations or bosom

friends .

2 7 T hen when he had gazed for a while and beheld suchfriends a s these prepa red for the fight , he wa s overcome by deepestpity

,and uttered his sorrow in the following words : 98Having

beheld,O Krishna . my k 1ndred thus standing anxious for the fight ,

99 my limbs fail me,my mouth is dried up,

the hair standeth onend upon my body

,and all my frame trembleth 30 Even Grandiva

,

3

my bow,falleth from my hand

,and my skin burneth . I am

not able to stand for my mind,as it were

,turneth round .

31Also , 0 Ke shava ,I b ehold inauspicious omens on all sides . When I

shall have destroyed my kindred,shall I longer look for happiness ‘

2S2 I wish not for Victory

,Krishna

,for dominion , or pleasure ; for

what i s dominion,and the enjoyinent of life , or even life itself,

33when those,for whom don1 ini on

, ple a sure , and enjoyment wereto be coveted , have abandoned life and fortune , and stand here 111the fie ld ready for the battle 34 Preceptors , fathers , sons a s well a sgrandfathers

,maternal uncles

,fathers-in- law

,grandsons

,brothers

in-law,as al so (other) relatives ! 35 T hese I do not wi sh to kill

though they kill (me) not even for the sovereignty of the thre eworlds , how much less then for this earth 36Having killed thesons of Dritara shtra ,

what pleasure,O destroyer of Madhu , can we

enjoy ‘

2 Should we destroy these felons we shall only incur sin .

37 I t

therefore b ehove th us not to kill such near relations as these .How,

0 Krishna , _can we be happy after killing our own relatives38What if they , whose minds are depraved by the lust of power,

see no sin in the extirpation of their race,no crime in the murder

of their friends , 39 i s that a reason why we should not resolve toturn away from such a crime

,we who abhor the sin of extirpating

the kindred of our blood 40 In the destruction of a family , theeternal rites of families are destroyed . B y the destruction of

1 The name means immo rta l changeless .2 The name means lord ofsleep , no t

indolent . 3G and1va wa s the name ofthe b ow which Arjuna received from his

fa ther Indra . It wa s supposed to possess m i raculous powers.


rites,the tribe becometh impious . 41 From the influence of

impiety the females of a family grow vicious ; and from womenthat are become Vicious the confusion of castes arises . 49 T hisconfusion provideth hell both for those which are slain and thosewhich survive and their forefathers , being deprived of pinda s

‘

and water,fa ll (from heaven) .

43 B y the crimes of those whomurder their own relations , sore cause of contamination and birth ofcaste-confusion , the family virtue , and the virtue of a whole tribei s for ever done away 44 and we have been told

,O Krishna

,that

the habitation of those mortals whose generation hath lost i tsVirtue , shall be in hell .

45Woe is me what a great crime are we prepared to commitAlas that for the lust of the enjoyments of dominion we stand hereready to murder the kindred of our own blood 46 I would ratherpatiently suffer that the sons of Dritara shtra with their weaponsin their hands

,should come upon me , and , unopposed , kill me

unarmed in the fie ld .

SANJAYA.47Having spoken thus , Arjuna sat down in his chariot and

having put away his bow and arrows , his heart was overwhelmedwith grief .

L EC T URE I I .

THE SANKHYA -YOGA

SANJAYA.1 Krishna beholding him thus overcome with pity , his eyes full

of tears,and his heart oppressed with deep afliic tion, thus spoke :

KRISHNA .

2 Whence,O Arjuna

,cometh unto thee , thus standing in the

fie ld of battle , this unworthy weakness , excluding from heaven ,and causing disgrace 3 Y ield not thus to unmanliness , for it il lbecometh one like thee . Cast offthis base faint-heartedne ss , andstand up,

0 conqueror offoe s .

”T

1 Shra ddha s would be neglected , no pinda s would be offered .

11Here the poem begins a s an expo sition ofphilo sophy. It m ay be divided m tothree pa rts , each conta ining six Chapters . The fi rst trea ts ma inly pfthe Y ogasystem ; the second ofthe Supreme Being ; the third ofthe Sankhya system . Theauthor , however , rega rds a ll these subjects from his own st andpom t a s an 1ndependent

thinker , and his system is therefore eclectic . —Da c ies .

tWa rriors dying bravely in ba ttle were supposed to go to the heaven ofIndra ,while cowa rds were shut out .

LECTURE II .

ARJUNA .

4How, 0 Kri shna , shall I resolve to fight with my arrows inthe fie ld against such a s B hishm a and Drona

, who ,of all men are

most worthy of my respect 5I would rather beg my bread aboutthe world , than be the murderer of my preceptors , to whom suchreverence i s due . Should I destroy such friends as these

,I should

partake of possessions , wealth , and pleasures , polluted with theirblood .

Gwe know not whether it would be better that we shoulddefeat them , or they us ; for those , whom having killed , I shouldnot wish to live , are everi the sons and people of Dritara shtra whoare here drawn up before us .

7My compassi onate nature i s overcome by the dread of sin . T ell me truly what may be best for meto do . I am thy disciple

,wherefore instruct me lnmy duty

, whoam under thy tuiti on ; for my understanding 1s confounded by thedictates of my duty .

8And I see nothing that may assuage the grief which driethup my faculties , although I were to obtain a kingdom without arival upon earth

,or dominion over the gods . 4

SANJAYA.9Arjuna having thus spoken to Krishna

,and decla red that he

would not fight , wa s silent . 10Krishna,smiling

,addressed the

afflict ed prince , standing in the midst of the two armi es , in thefollowing words

KRI SHNA .

1 1 T hou grieve st for those who are unworthy to be lamented ,but thou speakest words of wisdom . T he wise neither grieve forthe dead norfor the living .

1 2 I myself never wa s not,nor thou

,

nor all the princes of the earth ; n0r shall we ever hereafter ceaseto be .

13 As the soul in this body finde th infancy , youth , and oldage ; so ,

in some body,will it find the like .

2 One who 1 s confirm ed

in thi s belief,i s not disturbed by any thing that may come to pass .

14 T he contacts of the senses 3 glve heat and cold , pleasureand pain ; which come and go ,

and are transient and inconstant .Bear them with patience

,O son of Bharat a ; 15 for the wise man ,

whom these di sturb not , and to whom pain and pleasure are thesame

,i s fit ted for A thing unreal hath no exist

ence,whilst that which 1s real I S a stranger to non-entity .

5 B y

1 The fi rst doctrine taught is the immorta l ity ofthe soul ; i t never had a beginning and never will have an end .

-2 The second doctrine taught is the transmigra tion ofthe soul to differentbodies .

3The conta cts ofthe soul with ma tter by means ofthe o rgans ofsense .4The soul absorbed in medita tion on the Supreme is indifferent to ea rthly

things5The feel ings ofpain, &c . , a re unrea l ; the soul 15 real .

1 2 THE BHAGAVAD G ITA .

those who look into the principles of things , the design of each isseen .

1 7 Learn that he 1 by whom all things were formed 1s incorruptible , and that no one i s able to effect the destruction of this thingwhich 1s imperishable .

18 T hese bodies , which envelop the souls which inhab it them ,

which are e t erna l , i1icorruptib 1e , and surpassing all conception , aredeclared to be perishable ; whe refore , O Arjuna , resolve to fight .

1 9 T he man who believeth tha t i t is the soul which kille th,and he

who thinketh tha t the soul may be destroyed,are both alike de ce iv

ed for it neither killeth,nor i s it killed .

90 It is not born , nordoes it ever die , nor having existed before , does exist no more it i sancient , constant , and ete rna l

,and is not to be destroyed in this

i t s mortal frame .

2 1How can the man , who believeth that thi sthing is incorruptible

,eterna l

,inexhaustible

,and without birth ,

think that he can either kill or cause it to be killed ? 2 2 Asa man throwe th away old garments , and putteth on new , even so

the soul,having quitted its old morta l frames , entereth into others

which a re new.93 T he weapon divideth it not , the fire burneth it

not , the°

water corrupteth i t not , the wind drieth it not ; 94 It I Sindivisible , inconsumable , incorruptible , and 1s not to be dried awayit is everlasting

,a ll pervading

,stable

,immovable , and eternal °

2 5 1t 1s invi sible , inconceivable , and unalterable ; therefore , b e lieving i t to be thus , thou shouldst not gri eve . 96 But whetherthou believest it of eterna l birth and durati on , or that it diethwith the body , stil l thou hast no cause to lament it .

97 Deathis ce rtain to one that i s born

,and to one that dieth birth is

certain . Wherefore it doth not behove thee to grieve aboutthat which is inevitable .

98 T he former state of beings is unknownthe middle state i s evident

,and their future state i s not to

be di scovered . Why then shouldst thou trouble thyself aboutsuch things as these ? 2 9 Some regard the soul as a wonder ,whilst some speak and others hear of i t with astoni shment ; butno one knoweth i t

,although he may have heard it described .

30 T his spiri t being neyer to be destroyed in the mortal framewhich it inhabiteth

,i t i s unworthy for thee to be troubled for all

these mortals . 31 Rega rding,too

,thy proper duty , thou oughtest

not to falter , for there is nothing better for a Kshatriya than alawful battle .

32Happy are the Kshatriyas who find such a battlefreely Offered t o them as an open door to heaven .

33But ,i f thou wilt not perform the duty of thy calling , and fight out thefie ld

,thou wilt abandon thy duty and thy honor , and be guilty of

sin.

341 T hen men will proclaim thy eternal disgrace , and to awell born man disgrace 1s worse than death .

35 T he generals of thearmies will think that thy retirement from the fie ld arosefrom

1He (That) the Supreme B rahma .

LECTURE 1 1 . 13

fear, and thou wilt become despicable , even am ongst those bywhom thou wert wont to be respected .

36 T hy enemies will speakof thee in words which a re unworthy to be spoken

,and depreci ate

thy courage and abilities : what can be more dreadful than this37 If thou art slain thou wilt obtain heaven if thou art vic

torious thou wilt enj oy a world for thy reward wherefore,son of

Kunti,ari se and be determined for the battle .

38Make pleasureand pain

,gain and loss , vict ory and defeat , the same

,and then

prepare for battle ; thus thou shalt no t incur sin.

39 T he doctrine here declared to you is according to theSankhya (system) hear now the Y oga (teaching) . Possessed ofthis knowledge

,thou wilt cast offthe bonds of action .

1 40 In thi sthere i s no waste of effort , nor any disappointment . Even a littleof it delivereth one from great fea r . 41 For those who enter on thispath , 0 son of Kuru , there i s but one sta te of mind but manybranched and endless are the doctrines of the inconstant . 49Floweryspeech is uttered by the unwise

, who delight in the words of theVedas

,

’O son of Pritha ! saying,

“T here is nothing but this .

43Whose souls are full of desires , whose goal i s heaven , offeringbirth as the fruit of works

,and prescribing many varied ceremonies

for the attainment of pleasure and power . 44 T he state of mindconsi sting in steady contemplation does not belong to those who aredevoted to pleasures and power . 45 T he Vedas deal with the threeguna s ;

8 be thou free from the three guna sfi‘ O Arjuna be free from

the pairs of opposites , 5 ever fixed on truth : without anxious care ,and self-possessed .

46 T he knowing Brahman finde th as many usesin the whole Vedas collectively , as in a reservoir full flowing withwater . 6

47 Let the motive be in the deed and not in the fruit . B e notone whose motive for action i s the hope of reward . Let not thylife be spent in inaction .

£18 Steadfast in devotion , perform thyduty , abandon all thought of the consequence , and make the eventequal

,whether it terminate in good or evi l for such an equality i s

called yoga .

49 For work i s far inferior to the devotion of the mind .

Seek an asylum,then

,in the mind for the miserable and unhappy

1 Every a ction tha t is wroughtfor some purpo se connected with sel f , though itbe the hope ofga ining heaven, is fol lowed by the necessa ry result ofa good o r ev11sta te in ano ther s b ody. This resul t is ca lled the bond ofa ction,

’or tha t to wh1ch

the work necessa rily binds the doer . All wo rks a re expo sed t o the danger ofsuchlo ss and ga in. The a im ofthe true 17 0nis t o rise above a ll such changes and t o ga inby a mystic union (Yoga ) with the Supreme Brahma in devout m edi t a t l on an a b

sorption into his essence .-Davies .

2 Attention t o Vedic ceremonies secured only happinessfor a time in one oftheh eavens the rewa rd ofYoga wa s abso rption into the Supreme Brahma .

3S a t tva ,purity

, Raja s , a ctivity or pa ssion ; T a m a s , apa thy or da rkness .

4 Arjuna should be free from a ll the influence s ofma tter , whether good or ev11.Davies .

6Hea t and cold ,plea sure and pa in, &0 .

6 TheVeda s had a use , but it wa sfar inferior to tha t ofYoga .

14 THE B IIAGAVAD G ITA .

are so on account of the fruit of things . 50Men who are enduedwith true wisdom cast offboth good or evil deeds . T hereforeapply thyself to yoga yoga i s wisdom in action .

51Wise men , who have abandoned all thought of the fruitwhich is produced from their a ctions , are freed from the chains ofbirth ,

and“

go to the regions of eterna l happiness .52 When thy mind shall have passed through the snares of

delusion , thou wilt attain to a disdain of what has been revealed orwill be revea led hereafter . 53When thy mind

,bewildered by

shall stand unshaken fixed in contemplation (S amadhi) ,thou shalt then attain to yoga .

ARJUNA .

54What , 0 Krishna , is the mark of that wise and steady manwho i s fixed in contemplation ?How m ay such a sage speak ?Where m ay he dwellHow may he act

KRISHNA .

55Aman is said to be confirm ed inwisdom,when he for

sak e th every desire which entereth into his heart , and of himself i shappy , and contented in himself . 56His mind is undisturbed inadversity

,he is happy and contented in prosperity

,and he is

a stranger to anxiety , fear , and anger . Such aW1se man i s calleda m z

uni .

57 T he knowledge of that man is established,who in all things i s

without affection,and having received good or evil

,neither rej oiceth

a t'

the one , nor i s ca st down by the other . 58His knowledge i sconfirm ed ,

when,

‘ like the tortoi se,he can draw 1n all his senses and

restrain them from their wonted purposes .59 Objects of sense withdraw from an abstinent man ; not so the

taste (for them) . But when he hath seen the Supreme , he losetheven that . 60 T he tumultuous senses hurry away by force theheart even of the wise man who striveth to restrain them .

61Whenhe hath subdued them all

,he may rest in devotion , intent on me .

T he man who hath his passions in subj ection , i s possessed of truewisdom .

6 2 When a man m edita te th on the obj ects of sense , att achmentto them ariseth ; desire springeth from attachment ; desire from anger .63From anger i s produced folly ; from folly a depravation of thememory ° from the loss of memory3 the loss of reason ; and from

1 The S acred Books oftheHindus a re divided into two grea t cla sses , S ru ti andSm r iti . Sru ti , which means hea ring, deno tes direct revela tion ; Sm r i ti , recollection,

includes the books a dmitted t o have been compo sed by human authors. The propermeaning is tha t even the Veda s would be despised ,

butHindu commenta to rs expla ini t a s only hea ring ofmeans ofobta ining the objects ofthe senses . Anandagiri expla ins i t a s a ll writings o ther than those on the science ofthe soul .

2 A hermit dovo t ed t o the pra ctice ofyaga .

3 The lo ss ofmemory impl ies forgetfulness ofright and wrong ; from this com eswicked conduct , leading to future punishment inNa raka .


16 . THE BHAGAVAD 0 11311 .

i s a twofold rul e of life , that of the S 'ankhyas 1 by devotion ofknowledge , and that of the Yogis by devotion of action .

4 T he man enjoye th not freedom from action , by abstainingfrom action , nor doth he obtain perfection from a total inactivity .

5No one ever resteth a moment inactive . Every man is invo lunta rily urged to act by those guna s which a re inherent in his nature .

6 T he man who re stra ine th his organs of act ion and sittethdown with his mind attentive to the objects of his senses

,is called

a bewi ldered soul , and a hypocrite .

7 B ut the man is praised , who ,having subdue d all his passions

,performeth with his a ctive faculties

all the functions of life,unconce rned about the event . 8Perform

every appointed work , for action is preferable to inaction . Without action the support of thy body would not be possible .

9 T hisworld is fettered by all action except in work done on account ofsa crifice . Do thou therefore work for this purpose

,but without

attachment . 10When I’rajapa t i52 in ancient times created men

together with sacrifice , he said : “B y this propagate ; be this

your cow of plenty .

1 1 Nourish the gods by this,and let the

gods nourish you . T hus nourishing each other, ye shall obtain

supreme happiness . 1 9 T he gods nourished by sa crifice willgrant you the enj oyment of your wishes .He who enjoye thwhat hath been given unto him by them

, and offereth not aportion unto them

,i s even as a thief . 13 T he good who eat the

remains of sacrifice are freed from all sins . T hose who dressfood but for themselves

,eat the food of sin.

14Al l thingswhich have life are generated from the food which they eat .Food i s generated from rain ; rain from sacrifice ; and sa crifice

from action .

15 Know that action springeth from BrahmaBrahma proceedeth from the Indivisible One . T herefore Brahma ,the all-pervading

,i s ever present in sacrifice .

1 6 T he sinful mortal, who delighteth in the gratifica tion of his

passions,and followeth not the wheel thus revolving in the world ,

l iveth but in vain .

1 7 But the man who rejoiceth in his self , pleased with his self,and contented with his self alone hath nothing to do .

18He hath no interest either in that which i s done , or thatwhich i s not done and there is not , in all things which have been

1 Kapila ,the founder ofthe Sankhya school , did not recognise a personal

Supreme Deity, b ut onl y primo rdia l ma tter , emana ting into di stinct fo rms by a kindofblind instinct . Pa t anja li , ofthe Y oga schoo l , a cknowledged a crea to r . Kapilataught tha t m ukti can be obta ined only by knowledge , meaning by it chiefly his ownphilosophy . Pa t anja li taught tha t it is ga ined by pious medita tion. whereby the soulis jo ined in thought t o the grea t Supreme , and is fina lly absorbed in him .

—Davies .

2 Pra japa ti , lo rd ofcrea tures,

” the Supreme Brahma,in his form ofBrahma,

orda ined sa c rifice by fi re . The gods were supposed to pa rtake ofthe sa cnfice s

through Agni .3Brahma, a s the crea tor is the autho r ofa ctions .He issued from the Indivisi

b le , the Supreme Brahma . Telang transla tes Brahm a here a s the Veda s .

4No good o r evi l a ccrues t o him from anything he does or omits t o do .

LECTURE 111 . 1 7

created , any obj ect onWhich he may pla ce dependence .

19Wherefore

,perform thou that which thou hast to do

,at all times without

attachment for the man who doeth that which he hath to do ,without attachment

, a t ta ine th to the Supreme .

2 0Janaka 1 and others have attained perfection even by works .T hou oughtest also to work from rega rd to the good of mankind .

2 1 T he man of low degree followeth the example of him who i sabove him

,and doeth that which he doeth .

2 2 I myself,Arjuna

,have not

,in the three regions of the uni

verse,any thing which is necessa ry for me to perform

,nor any

thing to obtain which i s not obtained and yet I am occupied inwork .

93 If I were not vigilantly to attend to these duties,all men

would presently follow my example .

2 4 If I should not work,these

worlds would sink in ruin . I should be the cause of caste confusion ,and should de stroy these people .

2 5As the ignorant perform theduties of life from the hope of reward , so theW1se man , to promotethe general good

,should perform the same without motives of

interest . 2 6He should not cause destruction ln the understandingsof the ignorant who are inclined to outward works . T he learnedman , by industriously performing all the duties of life

,should

induce the vulgar to attend to them .

97He whose mind i s deluded by a hankdm (self-consciousness)thinketh himself the doer of actions which in every way are done bythe qualities of Prakriti . 2 2 8 But he who knoweth the truth aboutthe difference from qualities and the difference from actions ,formeth no attachments

,believing that qualities deal with qualities .

3

2 9 Men who are confused by the guna s of Prakriti are bound by theworks of the guna s . T he m anwho knoweth the whole truth shouldnot cause dull men

,who know not the whole

,to falter (in action) .

30Dedica ting all actions to me,fixed ln thought on the Supreme

f?pirit , free from hope and egoism ,put away thy sorrow and

ght31 T hose who with a firm belief, and without reproach, shall

constantly follow thi s my doctrine,shall be saved even by works .

‘1

32 Know that those who ,holding it in contempt , follow not this

my counsel,are a strayed from all wisdom , deprived of reason , and

are lost .1Janaka , a king ofVideha ,

wa s reckoned among the grea t Rishis on a ccount ofhis knowledge and piety .He is sa id t o have had a hundred rel igious tea chers .

2 The soul , which is the true sel f, never a cts . All a ction is due t o the guna s . Thewise knowing this a re unconcerned . The igno rant who t hink tha t the soul a cts

,

lookfor rewa rd in heaven.

3 This verse ha s been d ifferently transla ted . T e lang’s version is given. ! ua l ities

(the senses) dea l with qua l ities , objects ofsense .

4 This do es no t ful lyagree either with the Seink hya o r Y oga system . Acco rdingt o the fi rst , knowledge i s the only means ofobta ining l ibera tion ; a cco rding t o thesecond , devo tion. The autho r a sserts tha t l ibera tionm ay be a t ta iried even by wo rks ,i f done without a tta chment .


33But the wise man also seeketh for that which is conformedto hi s own nature . All things act according to their natures ;what then will Opposition effect 2 34 In the objects of the senses

are fixed affection and dislike . A wise man should not put himselfin their power

,for both of them a re his opponents .

35 One’s own duty (dha am a )1 though defective , is better than

another’s duty well-performed . Better is death in one’s ownduty ; another

’s duty is full of danger .

ARJUNA .

36 B y what , 0 Krishna , i s man constrained to commitoffences .

9He seems a s ii , contrary to hi s wishes , he wa s impelledby some secre t force .

KRISHNA .

37 It i s desire , i t i s wrath ; born from the quality of passion(r aja s) it is insatiable , full of sin. T hat i s our foe in this world .

38As fire i s covered by sm oke , a mirror by dirt , as a foetus i senveloped ln the womb

,so the world i s enveloped by this .

39 T he understanding of the wise man i s obscured by thi sinveterate foe

, 1n the shape of desire , which rageth like fire , and 18hard to be appeased .

40 It is said that the senses,the heart

,and the understanding

,

are the places which a re i t s seat . B y the assistance of these itoverwhe lm e th reason

,and stupefie th the soul . 41 T hou shouldest ,

therefore,first subdue thy passions

,and get the better of this sinful

destroyer of knowledge (jnana ) and experi ence (vijndna ) . 42 Iti s sa i d that the senses are great ; greater than the senses i s theheart (m ana s) ; greater than the heart i s the mind (buddhi ) ; butwhat i s greater than the mind i s T hat (the Supreme Being) .

43 T hus knowing tha t which i s higher than the mind , restrainingthyself by thyself, slay thi s unmanageable enemy in the shape ofdesire .

LECT URE IV.

THE YOGA O F KNOWL EDG E.

THE DEITY SAID1 T his eternal (doctrine of) Yoga , I formerly taught untoViva swa t , 2 andViva swa t taught it to Manu, and Manu made it

1 B y dha rm a is here meant the fulfil ling ofthe ca ste-obliga tions, a s tha t ofaKsha triya t o fight .

2 The author ofthe B hagavad G ita , t o give a divine sanction t o his work , a scribesi t to Krishna .He taught it t oViva swa t , or Adi tya , the Sun. Manu , the son ofViva swa t , wa s the l a st ofthe seven Manu s .He presides over the presentManwant am age ofManu) 4 ,32 0 ,

000 yea rs . I k shwa ku ,his son,

wa s the first King ofthe,Solar dyna sty, and one ofthe B ajarshis .

LECTURE IV. 19

known unto Ik shwaku .

2 Being delivered down from one untoanother , i t was studied by the Rajarshis ; until at length , in thecourse of time , this Yoga was lost . 3 I t is even the same Y ogawhich I have this day communicate d unto thee

,because thou art

my servant and my friend . It i s the supreme mystery

ARJUNA .

4 Seeing thy birth wa s la te r than that of Ik shwaku,how am

I to understand that thou didst first declare thi s doctrine ‘

2

KRI SHNA .

5Both I and thou have passed through many births . Mineare known unto me ; but thou knowest not thine .

6Al though I am not in my nature subject to birth 0 1° decay

,

and am the lord of all crea ted be ings ; yet , taking command overmy own nature , I am born by my delusive power (fm ayci) .

1

7As often a s there i s a decline of dha rm a and an exaltation ofa dha rm a

,in the world

,I produce myself ; 8 T hus I am born , from

age to age,for the preservation of the good

,the destruction of the

wicked , and the re -establishment ‘

ofdha rm a .

9He, 0 Arjuna , who , truly knoweth my divine birth and

work,doth no t , upon his quitting his mortal frame , enter into

another,for he entereth into me .

10Many who were free fromaffection

,fear

,and anger

,thinking on me

,huding refuge in me

,

having been purified by the fire of knowle dge ,3 have entered into

my being .

1 1 I serve men in the way in which'

they approach me . Menfollow my path from every side .

1 9 T hose who wish for success to their works in thi s li fe,

worship the gods . For in this life success from works speedilycometh to pas s .

13 T he four castes were created by me according to theapportionment of qualities and works . Know that I

,though

acti on less and inexhaust ible , am the author of them .

1111033102 is the mysterious power by which Brahma causes a seeming wo rld t o

issue from himself . This wo rld ha s no rea l existence a ccording to the Vedantists ,fo r the only rea l existence is the one universa l Soul . It is no t certa in,however

,tha t

the wo rd 18 here used in it s Vedantist sense . —Davies .

2His principa l inca rna tions a re reckoned a s t en, but sometimes they a re sa id t ohave been numberless . The fi rst , a s a fi sh

,is sa id to have been in the Krit a age ;

the tenth , the Ka lki Ava tara , ha s yet t o come .3Knowledge is ca ll ed tapa s , (rel igious austerity) from it s purifying influenee .

Davies .

4 Kr ishna a sserts tha t he is the autho r and no t the author ofthe ca stes . Thisis expla ined in two ways .He who wo rks without “

a tta chment is sa id no t t orea lly work . Krishna ,

a s Brahma, wa s the autho r ofthe ca stes , but no t in hissupreme form a s B rahma .


1 4 Actions defile me not ; I have no desire for the fruit ofactions .He who knoweth me thus i s not bound by actions .

1

15 T he ancients who longed for libera tion having discoveredthis , still performed works . Wherefore perform thou works

,

even as they were performed by the ancients in former times .1 6 T he learned even are puzzled to determ ine what i s work

,

and what i s not . I will tell thee what that work is,by knowingr

which thou wilt be delivered from misfortune .

1 7 T he (natures)of action

,forbidden a ction, and inaction must be well understood .

T he path of action is obscure .

1 8He who can see as it were , ina ction in action , and a ction ininaction , is wise amongst m ank ind .He i s a perfect performer ofal l duty .

1 9Wi se men call him learned whose every undertaking is freefrom the idea of desire , and whose actions are consumed by thefire of knowledge .

90 Abandoning the desire of a reward of his actions ; alwayscontented and self-reliant , although he may be engaged in a work ,he , a s i t were , doeth nothing .

9 1 Unsolicitous , of a subdued mindand spirit

,rej ecting all surroundings and performing merely bodily

work,he committeth no ofi ence .

2 2 Contented with wha tever hemay receive , unaffected by the pairs of Opposites (pleasure and pain ,&c .) free from envy , the same in good and evi l fortune , he , thoughhe worketh

,i s not bound .

93 T he work of him in whom attachmenti s dead

,who is freed , 2 whose mind is fixed on knowledge , who per

formeth actions for (the purpose of) sa crifice , cometh altogetherunto nothing .

2 4Brahma is the oblation ; Brahma is the sa crific ia l butter ; Brahma is in the fire ; by Brahma is the offeringmade . Into Brahma will he enter who m edita t e th on Brahma inhis work .

2 5 Some devot ees offer up sacrifice to the gods ; othersoffer sa crifice by sa crificing only in the fire of Brahma .

2 6 Otherssa crifice hea ring and the other senses in the fire of self-rest raint ;others sa crifice sound and the other obj ects of sense in the fire ofthe senses .

97 O thers again sa crifice all the functi ons of the sensesand li fe-breaths in the fire of self-restraint

,k indled by knowledge .

98 O thers , also , sa crifice by their wealth , or by austerities , byyoga ,

by silent study , and knowledge .

99 Some sa crifice theupward breath in the downward

,and the downward breath in the

upward,stopping up the channels of the upward and downward

breaths,intent on the restraint of breath .

3 30 Others,who practise

abstinence,sacrifice the ir life-breaths in life-breaths . All these are

skilled in sa crifice and by sa crifice their sins are destroyed .

1He does no t ga in heaven o r enter ano ther body, b ut is abso rbed into thedivine na ture .

2Muk ta eya ,freed from a tta chment t o worldly concerns .

3P 1°dnya m a ,

restra int ofbrea th , is brea thing through one no stril only byclosing the o ther .

LECTURE v. 2 1

31 T hose who eat the nectar-like leavings of sa crifice s go to theeterna l Brahma . T his world isno t for him who offe reth no sa crifice ;much less the other . 32 Many kinds of sa crifice a re offered in thepresence of Brahma . Know them all to be produced from actionknowing this

,thou shalt b e free .

33 T he sa crifice of knowledge isbetter than the sa crifice of wealth . Every action

,in it s complete

ness,i s contained in knowledge .

34 Seek , then , this wisdom bypro stra tions ,

l by questi ons,and by service , tha t those learned

men who se e it s principles m ay instruct thee .

35Having knownthi s

,thou shalt not again fall into this delusion for thou wilt see

all things first in thyself and then in Me .

36 Although thou wert the most sinful of all sinful men,thou

wilt cros s over a ll trespasses by the boat of knowledge .

37 As the natural fire,0 Arjuna ,

reduce th the wood to ashes,

so the fire of knowledge reduce th all actions to ashes .

38 T here i s not any thing in this world to be compared withknowledge as a purifier .He who i s perfect in devotion

,in due

t ime finde th i t in his own s oul . 39He who hath faith finde th

knowledge ; above all , he who hath gotten the better of his passionsand having obta ined it , he quickly enjoye th supreme repose .

40 But the ignorant,and the man without fa i th

,whose spirit is full

of doubt,is lost . Neither thi s world

,nor that which is above

,nor

happiness,can be enjoyed by the man of doubting mind .

3

41 Actions do not fetter the man who is self—possessed,who hath

renounced action by Yoga ,who ha th destroyed doubt by knowledge .

4

42 T herefore slay this doubt , which i s born of ignorance , by thesword of knowledge . Give thyself to devotion

,and ari se

,O son

of Bharata .

LECT URE V.

YOGA B Y RENO UNCINGWORKS .

ARJUNA .

1 'I‘b ou now speakest , Krishna , of the renunciation of works ,and now again of performing them . T ell me positively which ofthe two is better .

1 B y becoming the disciple ofa religious tea cher .2Nim'dna .

3 Neither the blessing ofa higher birth , nor tha t ofheaven, no r ofm rvana .

4Having spoken ofthe na ture and effects ofspiritua l knowledge , the writer go eson t o reconcile the Sankhya and Y oga systems by expla ining tha t the Y oga system ,

in prescribing tha t a ll a ctions b e done without a tta chment ,” enforces a rea l renunc ia t ion, and is ba sed on true knowledge .

—Davies .

2 2 THE BHAGAVAD (111AKRI SHNA .

2 Renunciation (ofworks) and Yoga by work , both procurethe highest blis s ; but of these Yoga by works i s better than renuncia tion of works .

3He should be regarded as always a Sannya si who neitherhateth nor desireth ; he who i s free from the pairs of oppositesi s easi ly se t free from bonds .

4Children— not the le arnedéspe ak of the Sankhya andYoga (doctrines) a s different but he who devo te th himself toeither obta ineth the fruit of both .

5T he seat 2 which the sankhyasobtain is reached by Y ogis also .He seeth truly who seeth that theS einkhya and Y oga are one .

6Renunciation is hard to gain without devotion . T he m um?

who is fixed in devotion goes to Brahma without delay .7He who

i s fixed in devotion , whose self i s pure, who i s master of himself

and subdueth the senses, who ident ifie th himself with everything

that existe th ,

3 i s not polluted even though he work .

8 9 T he manof devotion who knoweth the truth thinketh

,tha t he doeth nothing

when seeing,hea ring , touching , smelling , eating , moving , sleeping,

breathing,talking

,throwing out

,taking

,opening or closing the

eyelids ; affirm ing tha t the senses deal with the obj ects of sense .

10He who casting offattachment offereth his action to Brahma,is

not tainted by sin , as the lotus leaf is not (tainted) in water .1 1 Devotees

,giving up attachment

,perform actions for the

purifying of themselves by the body,the heart (m ana s) , by the

mind,and even by the senses alone .

19 T he devout man who hathabandoned the fruit of works a t ta ine th the highest peace . T he

undevout,attached to the fruit (ofworks) , through desire , is bound .

13 T he man who hath his passions in subj ection , and with his mindforsaketh all works , his soul sitteth at rest in the nine-gate city“ofits abode , neither acting nor causing to act .

14 T he Lord createth neither the faculty of working norworks

,nor the connection of works and fruit ; Nature (Prakriti)

a lone worketh .

15 T he Lord receiveth the sin or merit of none .

5 Mankindare led astray by their reason being obscured by ignorance 16 butwhen that ignorance of their souls i s destroyed by knowledge , theSupreme i s revealed by knowledge , shining as the sun.

1 7 T hosewhose thoughts are on him (T hat) whose soul s are in him , whose

1 One who ha s perfo rmed renuncia tion.

2 The sea t is the d ivine na ture ofBrahma . B ut Kapila did not tea ch thisdoctrine .He taught tha t the soul , whenfina llyemancipa ted from ma tter , rema insin a sta te ofunconscious repose , but in it s own individua l ity .

3 The perfect Y ogi 1s indifferent to a ll persons and things .He loses a ll senseofindividua l ity

,and is merged in the universa l l ife ofthe world , a s an emana tion of

B rahma . Davies .

4 The body which ha s nine ga tes t o the outer world . The soul does not act .

5 Brahma,l ike the soul , dwells apa rt , unaffected by the actions ofm en.



LECT URE VI .

YOGA B Y SELF -REST RAINT .

KRI SHNA .

1He i s both a Yogt and a S a im yds i who performeth thatwhich he hath to do independent of the fruit thereof ° not he whol iveth without the sa crificia l fire and without action .

2 Learn , 0 son of Pandu , that what they call renunciationi s the same with Yoga .

2He cannot be a Y ogi,who hath not

renounced all worldly schemes .3 Works are said to be the means by which a man who

wishe th , may attain devotion so rest i s called the means3 for himwho hath attained devotion .

4He who is not attached to the obj ects of the senses or toworks , renouncing all fancies , is called a perfect Yogi . 5Heshould ra l se himself by him se li : he should not suffer hi s soul tobe depressed . Self 1s the friend of self ; and , in like manner

,

self i s i ts own enemy .

8 Self is the friend of b irhwho by himselfhath conquered self ; but to him who hath not restra ined himself ,self becometh an enemy .

7 T he soul of him who i s self restrainedand placid

,i s self contained in hea t and cold

,in pain and pleasure

,

in honor and disgrace .

8 T he Y ogi who 1 s content with divine and human knowledge,

who i s unmoved (by any vexations of the world) , whose senses aresubdued , and to whom a clod , a stone , or gold are alike , i s called aperfect devotee

9He i s esteemed highest who thinketh alike about companions , friends , enemi es , strangers , the indifierent , foreigners ;and relations

,yea to good and evil men .

10 Let the Y ogi constant ly practise devotion fixed m a secludedspot alone , withhi s mind and self subdued , without expectations andwithout belonging .

1 1 F ixinv his seat firm ly in a clean spot,

neither high nor low,covered with a cloth

,a deerskin and kusa grass .

1 2 T here fixing his heart (m ana s) on one obj ect , restra ining histhoughts

,senses and actions

,seated on (that) seat he should practise

yoga for the purifying of the self . 18Holding hi s body , head andneck , even and unmoved , (remaining) steady looking at the tip of hisnose and not looking aro ;und 14 tranqui1 1n soul , free from anxiety ,

1 The S annyasi performs no sa crifice s or ceremonies ; but merely t o omit these ,without true renuncia tion,

is no t t o be a rea l S annyasi .2Here the union ofthe essentia l principles ofthe sankhya and Y oga systems is

aga in a ttempted . Bo th lead t o a renuncia tion ofworks , evenwo rks ofdevo tion ;b ut Kapila sought t o obta in it by philosophica l knowledge and Pa tanja li by menta labstra ction,

lea ding t o the mystica l unionwith Brahma which is ca l led Yoga .—Davies .

3 F o r the a tta inment ofabsorption into the divine Being .

4 Joined ,” to the Divine Being in pious medita tion.

”—Davies .

LECTURE VL 2 5

and adhering to the rules of B rahm acharis,he should restrain his

mind, (concentrate it ) on me , and sit down engaged in devotion ,

meditating and intent on me .

15 T he Yogi,thus constantly devot

inghis self to abstrac tion,whose mind is restrained

,a t t a ine th peace ,

the supreme nirvana that i s in Me .

18 Devotion is no t for himwhoeateth too much

,or for him who eateth too little nor for him who

sleepe th too much , or who i s ever wakeful . 1 7 T he devotionwhichdestroyeth trouble

°

belongeth to him who 1s moderate ln eating andin recreati on , whose inclinati ons are moderate

°

1n action ,and who

°

l s

moderate°

1n sleep .

18When he fixe th his well restrained thoughtson himself alone

,and is indifferent to every obj ect of desire

,then

he i s called devoted (yukta ) .

1 9 T he Y0 91?of a subdued mind , thusemployed in the exerci se of: his devotion

,i s compared to a lamp ,

standing in a place without wind,which flick e re th not .

80When the mind i s at res t , restrained by the practice ofYoga ,

and when seeing the self by the self,i s pleased in the self .

2 1He becometh acquainted with that boundless plea sure which isfar more worthy of the understanding than that which ariseth fromthe senses depending° upon which

,the mind moveth not from its

principles ;2 9Which having obtained

,he re spe cteth no other acqui sition

so great as it ; on which depending , he 1s not moved by theseverest pain 2 3 T his disunion from the conjunction of pain i scalled Yoga T his Yoga must be practi sed with steadiness and aresolute heart . 9 ‘1

,2 5When he hath abandoned every desire that

ariseth from the i111 agina tion, and subdued with his mind everyinclination of the senses

,he may

,by degrees

,find rest ; and having ,

by a steady resolution,fixed hi s mind within itsel f , let him cease to

think .

2 8Wheresoever the unsteady mind wandereth , he shouldsubdue it , bring it back , and place it on the self . 97 Supremehappiness a t t ende th the man whose heart i s thus at peace ; whosepa ssmns are thus subdued ; who

°

i s one with Brahm a , and fr°

ee froms1n.

98 T he man who i s thus constantly°

ln the exerci se of the soul ,and free from sin

, enjoye th the eternal happiness of uni on withBrahma .

99 T he man whose mind°

1s endued with this devotion ,and looketh on all things alike

,beholdeth the supreme Soul

°

1n allthings , and all things

°

111 the supreme Soul . 130He who beholdeth me in all things , and beholdeth all

things°

inme , I forsake not him ,and he forsaketh not me .

31T he

Y ogi who worshippeth me as abiding in all things , holding thatall

°

i s one , dwelleth in me,however he may be living .

32 T he man, 0 Ar juna , who ,

from what passeth°

ln his ownbreast , whether it be pain or pleasure , beholdeth the same in

others , i s esteemed the best Y ogi .

1 Rea l ises the essentia l unity ofeverything .—Telang .

2Who believes tha t plea sure and pa in a re felt by others like himsel f .


ARJUNA .

33 From the ficklene ss of our natures , I conce ive not thepermanent duration of thi s doctrine of equanimity which thouhast told me .

34 T he m ind , 0 Krishna ,i s natura lly unsteady ,

turbulent , strong , and stubborn . I esteem it as difficult torestrain as the wind .

KRISHNA .

35 T he mind , 0 valiant youth , i s undoubtedly unsteady , anddifficult to be confined ; yet , i t m ay be restrained by practice andindifference (to worldly obj ects) .

85 In my opinion , this divine discipline , which is called Yage ,is

hard to be attained by him who hath not hi s soul in subjection butit may be acquired by him who taketh pains

,and i s self-restrained .

ARJUNA .

37Whither, O Krishna , doth the man go after death , who ,

although he be endued with faith ,hath not obtained perfection

in his devotion , because his unsubdued mind wandered from thedi scipline ‘

2 38Doth he not peri sh like a broken cloud,being unst e ad

fast and deluded in the path (leading) to Brahma 39 B e pleased ,O Krishna , to destroy completely this doubt of mine , for none butthyself i s able to destroy this doubt .

KRI SHNA .

40His destruction i s found neither here nor in the worldabove . No man who hath done good goeth unto an evil place .

41 A m an whose devotions have been broken offby death , havingenj oyed for unnumbered years the rewards of his Virtues ln theregi ons above , at length

°

1s born again in some holy and respectablefami ly ° 42 or else he i s born in the house of some le arned Yogi .But such a birth in this l ife is difficult to attain .

48 Being thusborn again

,he is endued with the knowledge which he had in

a former body and here again he b eginne th to labour for perfe ction .

44 B y that former practice he i s led on, even without hi swill .He who only desireth to know Y090 ,

goeth beyond theBrahmic word (the Vedas) .

1 45 T he Y09 73who ,l abouring with all

his might , i s purified of his offences , and , after many births , i smade perfect

,at length goeth to the supreme abode .

48 T he Yogi 1 s superi or to asceti cs , respected above the m en

of knowledge,and superl or to the doers of works ; wherefore , O

Arjuna,resolve thou to become a Yogi .

47 O i all Yogz’

s,I respect

him as the most devout , who hath faith°

lnme , and who serveth mewith his self stayed on me .

1 The Yogi by devotion, rises above the desire ofthe fruit ofa ctions prescribedby theVeda s.

LECT UREVI I .

L EC T UREVI I .

YO GATHRO UGHSPIRIT UAL DIS CERNMENT .

(He re a separa te divisionofthe Poem begins . T he first sixchaptersa re devoted m a inly to the Y oga system ofPa t anja li . T he sixfo llowingt1 e a t ofthe Suprem e B e ing, who 18 the source both ofgods and m en, the

only se lf existent and eterna l B e ing.

KRI SHNA .

1Hear,O Arjuna

,how having thy mind attached to me

,being

in the exercise of devotion , and making me alone thy asylum ,thou

wi lt , without doubt , b e conie acquainted with me .

2 1W111m struct

thee in thi s wisdom and learning without reserve which havinglearnt , there i s no t in this life any thing further to be known .

3Afew amongst ten thousand mortals strive for perfection ; 1and but a few of these who s trive and become perfect , know meaccording to my nature .

4Earth, water , fire , air, ether the heart (m ana s) and also themind (buddhi) and egoism (a hanka m ) , these (form) the eightfolddivision of my material nature (Pm kmltz) .

5T his 1s the lower (nature) , but know now my other highernature

,

2 the living principle by which the universe i s sustained .

6Know that all things have these as their source . I am the producerand the destroyer of the whole universe .

7 T here i s nothing else higher than myself . All this i s strungtogether in me as a row of pearls upon a string .

S I am taste3 in the waters,I am the light in the sun and moon

,

I am Om in all the Vedas,sound in ether

,the masculine force in

man .

9 I am the sweet smell ln the earth , the brightness in thefire

, the Vital principle ln all beings , and the austeri ty (t apa s) ofascetics . 10 Know that I am the eternal seed of all things thatexist . I am the intellect of the intelligent , the splendour of thesplendid .

1 1 I am the strength of the strong ; free from desire (kdm a )and passion (”r ajhw) I am desire in living beings not forbidden bydha om a 1 2 Know also that the natures which are of the qualityof goodness

,and those which are of the quality of passion and of

darkness are indeed all from me I am not in them , but they are inme .

13 T he whole of this world being bewildered by the influence

1 Knowledge ofthe sel f .2 In the Sankhya system Prakriti (prima l ma tter) is a lone recognised . In the

system ofPa t anja li this is rega rded a s only an inferio r pa rt ofBrahma ; there I Sa higher spiritua l essence which I s the anima ting principle ofa ll things . Davies .

3 Ta ste 1s considered the peculia r qua li ty ofwa ter ; sound ofether smell ofearth .


of these three guna s ,1 knoweth not that I am di stinct from these

and eternal .14 T his divine illusion (m ciyd) of mine , formed by the guna s , i s

hard to overcome they who worship me alone pass over thisi llusion .

15 T he wicked , the foolish and the low-minded come notunto me , because their understandings , being bewildered by m ciyd,they partake of the nature of. Asuras .

1 6 Four classes of righteous m enworship me the distressed ,one who i s seeking after knowledge, one who wants wealth , andone who i s possessed of knowledge .

2 1 7 O i these the best i s theone possessed of knowledge

,if he always practises devotion

,and

worships the one . I am extremely dear to the wise man and he isdear unto me .

18 All these are noble but I esteem the manpossessed of knowledge even as myself , because his devout spiritdepende th upon me alone a s his ultimate goal . 1 9 T he wise manproceedeth not unto me until after many births ; for the exaltedmind

,who saye th that vasudeva is theAll , i s hard to find .

90 T hosewhose understandings are drawn away by this and that pursuit

, go

unto other gods,observing divers rites

,constrained by their own

natures .

3

2 1 If any one,worshipping with faith

,desire to worship any

deity,I make that faith of his steady .

92 Possessed of that faith , heseeketh to propitiate the (deity in) that form ,

and obtaineth fromhim the benefits which he desireth , (though they are) really givenby me .

93But the gain of these men of narrow minds is perishable .

4

T hose who sa crifice to the gods, go to the gods . T hose who wor

ship me , come to me .

2 4 T he ignorant , being unacquainted with my supreme nature ,which is superior to all things

,and exempt from decay

,believe me ,

who am invisible , to exist in the Vi sible form under which they seeme .

£5

95 I am not visible to all , because I am concealed by my powerof delusion (yoga m dyd} .

6 T he ignorant world do not discover this ,that I am not subject to birth or decay .

1 These a re the modes or constituent pa rts ofPrakriti,which by their difi erent

combina tions form the distinctive natures ofindividua l s . The Supreme Spiritanima tes a l l the wo rld (N a ture) i t is therefore inN a ture , butNa ture is no t in it .Mengenera lly see only the lower pa rt ofthe Divine dua l na ture

,which veils the higher

spiritua l pa rt . ~—Da r ies .

2 Knowledge tha t Brahma and the soul are one .

3 The result ofa ctions in fo rmer births .

4 Because the gods a re crea ted beings , and they , with the worlds over which theypreside , will be destroyed a t the end ofa Ka lpa .

—Davies .

5 The ignorant do no t know the rea l divinity ofVishnu,thinking him t o be no

higher than a s he is seen in human form .—T e lang.

6 TheVedantist doctrine ofm aiyoi , denies a l l true real ity in the world a roundus . This is ofla ter o rigin than the B hagavad G ita.Here it simply means tha tthe outwa rd world is an illusion, because it veils the Supreme Being who pervadesall things .

LECTURE VIII . 2 9

2 6 I know, 0 Arjuna , all the beings that have passed , all that

are present,and all that shall here after b e ; but there is not one

amongst them who knoweth me .

97 All beings a re bewildered inthi s world by the delusion caused by the pa1rs of opposites , 1 arisingfrom desire and avers i on .

2 8 But the men who a re pure in theirdeeds

,in whom sin i s dead , freed from the delusion of opposi tes ,

and firm ln their beliefs , Worship.

me .

99 T hose who finding refuge 1n me strive for deliverance fromold age and death

,know the Brahma

,the Supreme Spirit

(Adhyatm a ) ,2and all Ka rm a .

30 T he men devoted in mind whoknow me asAdhib i’i ta (Lord of beings) , a sAdhida iva (Lord ofgods) , and asAdhiyajna (Lord of sa crifice ) , know m e inde edat the time of departure (from this world ) .

LECT UREVI I I .

THE YO GAO F THE S UPREME ET ERNA L B RAHMA .

ARJUNA .

1What is that Brahma ? WhatAdhyatm a,and what i s

Karma (work , action) What is that ca lledAdhib fit a,and that

calledAdhida iva .

9 2 Who I SAdhiyajna and how here ln thi s body ?How do self restrained men know thee a t the time of theirdecease ?

KRISHNA .

3 Brahma is the Supreme , the Indestructible his own naturei s calledAdhyatm a .

3 T he emanation tha t causeth the birth of allliving beings i s ca lled Karma (work) .

4Adhib fi ta is (m y) perishable nature , andAdhida iva i s themale (creative) principle (pm usha ) . T heAdhiyajna 1s I myself lnthi s body .

5At the end of time , he , who quitting the body , departethl T he pa irs ofoppo si tes a re love , ha tred ga in,

lo ss , etc .Men unduly a tta ched t oworldly things think tha t these should be l iked o r di sl iked . Such m en a re deceived .

These things should be looked uponwith indifference . They canno t b enefi t the soul ,Which must find it s happiness in absorption.

9 N ames ofKrishna .

3Brahma is ca lledAdhyatm a, because , inhis spiritua l form ,

he is the highest b e ¢

ing.When Brahma acts a s crea to r , he takes a new name , Brahma. Ka rma especia lly deno tes the production ofa ll things . Telang expla insAdhib fit a a s denoting thewhole inanima te crea tion.

” Davies renders i t Lord ofbeings,

” because he is theirsource . Pa t anja l i makes the Prakriti ofthe Supreme

,described a s his Sa k t i , o r

energy, tha t from which a ll beings have sprung . Brahma, a s the cause ofa ll l ife , isnamed Purusha (ma le) a s he crea ted the gods

,he is ca lledAdhida iva . Krishna

ca ll s himsel fAdhiyajna , Lo rd ofsa crifi ce,

a s being an object ofworship t o m en

ofl imited capa cities .

30 THE BHAGAVAD G ITA.thinking only of me

,Without doubt

,entereth unto my being ; 6 or

else , whatever o ther nature he shall call upon , at the end of life ,when he shall quit his mortal shape

,he shall ever go unto it .

1

7 Wherefore at a ll times think of me alone and fight . Let thyheart and m m d be placed on me alone

, and thou shal t , withoutdoubt , go unto me .

8 T he man who longeth after the Divine andSupreme Being

,with his mind intent upon the practice of devotion ,

goeth unto him .

9 10 T he man who sha ll in his last hour meditateon the ancient sage , theRuler , sma ller than an a tom ,

the Preserver ofall , unimaginable ln form ,

shining like the sun above the darkness,

with unwavering hea rt,arid by the force of Yoga draweth his b re a tli

together between his eyebrows,

2 that m an goeth to this SupremeDivine Being .

1 1 I will now b rieflyexpla in to thee that path whichthey who know the Veda call Imperishable ; which the men ofsubdued minds and conquered passions enter and which , desirousof knowing

,they live the live s of B rahm a charins .He who

hath closed with the gates (ofthe senses) , confined his heart(m ana s) inwardly , placed the vital breath ln the head

,

3 constantin devotion ; repeating the syllable Om , signifying the eternalBrahma

,thinking upon me

,he who thus departeth

,goeth

,when he

quit te th the body , to the highest place .

1 4He who thinketh constantly of me , his mind undiverted byanother object

,I will at all times be easily found by that constantly

devout Yogi .

15 T hese great-souled men,having attained to me , come not

again to life Which 1s transient and the seat o i; pain : they reach thehighest perfection .

16 Know 0 Arjuna , that all the worlds , even tothat of Brahma

,return again ; but he who finde th me , returneth

not again to morta l birth .

1 7 T hey are acqua inted with day and night , who know thatthe day of Brahma is as a thousand revolutions of the yuga s , andthat his night extendeth for a thousand more .

18At the approach of day all the Vi sible (manifested) universeissues from the Unmanifested on the approach of night it di ssolvesinHim who i s called the Unmanifested .

19 T hi s multitude of beings,produced again and again , di s

solves at the approach of night and comes forth , not by its ownpower

,at the approach of days“

1 If a m an desires heaven only,a t dying he will think ofIndra , and go t o his

heaVen.

2 Lookingbetween the eyebrows . Seev. 2 7 .

3 “Ho lding the brea th a s much a s po ssible inwa rdl y, —Da 1‘ ies . Thinking ofnothing, making the mind cea se t o work .

- T e la ng.

4Al l the eightWorlds will be absorbed 1n Brahm a a t the end ofa Ka lpa , and

then come forth aga in. One yea r ofm en is equa l t o a day ofthe gods . Therea re four Yuga s , conta ining 1 2 ,000 d ivine yea rs , equa l to 4”32 0 000 common yea rs .

One thousand ofthese periods fo rm a day ofBrahma . This day ofBrahma is

ca lled a Ka lp a 360 Ka lpa s fo rm his yea r,and a hundred such yea rs form his l ife

time a t the close ofhis l ife the universe is destroyed.



See my royal mystery . My spirit , the source of all , supporteth

all things , but doth no t dwell in them .

6 Understand tha t a ll things rest in me,a s the mighty air

,

which pa sseth everywhere,resteth

,for ever in the dkdsha .

7At theend of a ka lpa a ll things enter my materia l nature ; at the beginning of a ka lpa , I send them forth again .

8 Supported by myma terial nature , I send forth aga in and again all this collection ofbeings

,without their own will , by the power of Prakriti . 9 But

these a ctions do not bind me , 1Who remaineth like one unconcerned

,and who am unattached to those a ctions .

10 Under my supervis ion Prakriti produce th both the movableand the immovable . It i s in this way, 0 Arjuna , that the universerevo lve th .

1 1 T he foolish,be ing unacquainted with my supreme and

divine nature , a s Lord ofa ll. things , despise me in thi s human form .

1 2 Partaking of the delusive nature ofRakshasas and Asuras , 2 theyare of vain hope

,of vain endeavours , of vain wisdom , and void of

reason s 13 B ut men o i. gre a t souls, partaking of the divine nature , 3

discover tha t I am before all things and incorruptible , and serveme with their heart s undiverted by other gods .

14Men of steadfast and laborious lives come before me , humblybowing down

,for ever glorifying my name ; and they are constantly

employed in my service 15 Others , offering up the sa crifice

of knowledge} worship me as one , as distinct , and as all-pervadingin many forms .

16 1 am the offering , I am the sa crifice , I am the offering topi tm

’

s,I am the sacred herb I am the sacred

"

verse and the sa crificia l butter ; I am the fire I am the burnt offering .

1 7 I am thefa ther

,mother

,susta iner , the grandsire5 of this universe I am the

obj ect of knowledge,the means of purifica t ion, the syllable Om ,

6 theRik

, Sama , and Y ajus also .

18 I am the way,the sustainer

,the

Lord,the witness

,dwe lling

,refuge and friend

,the origin and de

stroyer (oi life) the place , the receptacle , and the inexhaustible seed .

19 I cause heat ; I withhold and send forth the rain ; I am im m or

tality and death I am sa t (that which is) and a sa t’(that which is

not) .

2 0 T hosewho know the three (Vedas) who drink of the soma juicebeing purified of their offences , ofier sa crifice s , and petition forheaven . T hese obta in the holy world of Indra , in which they feast

1 The works ofBrahma do no t bind him a s they a re done Without atta chment .2 The ta m o -

gwna o r da rk qua l ity,preva ils in them .

3 The qua lity ofgoodness preva il s in them .

4 The knowledge tha t Krishna is a l l .5Krishna is the grandsire ofthe universe a s the source ofPrakriti .6 Fo rmed by the union ofthe letters a

, u , m . Probably a t fi rst it representedAgni , Va runa , and Ma rut (wind) ; a fterwa rds it deno ted Brahma, Vishnu , and S iva .

7 Different explana tions a re given ofsa t and a sa t . They have been transla tedspirit and ma tter , causes and effects .

LECTURE ix. 33

upon the divine food of the gods . 91 When they have partakenof that spacious heaven for a while , in proportion to their virtues ,they sink again into this mortal world , a s soon a s their stock of meritis expended . In this manner those , who , longing for the a ccom

plishm ent of their wishes , follow the religion pointed out by thethree (Vedas) , obtain a transient rewa rd .

l

2 2 T o those who serve me alone , and who are thus constantlyengaged in my service

,I bring full assurance (ofhappiness) .

2 3 T hose also who serve other gods with a firm belief,in doing so

,

worship even me,but not according to ancient rule .

94 I am the partaker,and also the Lord of all sa crifice s .

Because mankind are unacquainted with m y true nature , they fallagain from heaven .

95 T hoseWho make vows to the gods , go to the gods those whomake vows to the Pitm

’

s, go to the Pi tm

'

s those who worship thet

’

t ta s,

2

go to the B ht’

zta s and those likewise who worship me, go

to me .

96 I accept and enjoy the holy offerings of the humble son] ,who in his worship pre sent e th leaves and flowe rs , and fruit andwater unto me .

2 7 Whatever thou doest,O Arjuna

,whatever thou eatest

,what

ever thou sacrifice st , whatever thou givest , whatever thou shalt bezealous about , make each an offering unto me .

2 8 T hou shalt thus be delivered from the bond of works,

producing good and evil fruits and if thou be united to me bydevotion and renunciation

,

3 thou,when freed

,sha lt come unto me .

99 I am alike to all beings to me none i s hateful,none is dear

but those who worship me devoutly dwell in me and I in them .

30 Even if one of evil li fe worshippeth me and not any other,

he must certainly be deemed to be good , for he hath judgedrightlyfi

‘ 31 Soon he becometh a pious one,and a t t a ine th eternal

peace . Rest assured that they who worship me never perish .

32 For even those of sinful birth,

5 women,Vaisyas

,and Sudras

likewise resorting to me attain the supreme goal . 33How muchmore then holy Brahmans and piousRajarshis who are my devotees .Having come into this transient unhappy world , worship me .

34 Fixthy heart (m ama s) on me ; become my devotee ; my worshipper ;reverence me

,and thus making me the supreme obj ect , thou wilt

come to me .

1 Tho se who follow the Veda s obta in only tempora ry happiness .

2 The B ha ta s a re suppo sed t o be a foul kind ofdemons,dwel ling 111 graveya rds

burning-grounds .

3 T his mode ofa ction is a t once devotion and renuncia tion, the fi rst , becauseone ca res no tfo r fruit , the second because it is offered t o the Supreme .

—T e lang.

4 Tha t the Supreme Being a lone shoul d be reverenced .—T e la ng.

5 Sridhara expla ins this a s low birth ,” Sanka ra , a s birth resul ting from sins .

5

84 THE BHAGAVAD G i TA.LECT URE X .

YO GAB Y THE DIVINE PERF ECT IONS .

KR I SHNA .

1Hear again , 0 large-armed one, my supreme words , which Iwill speak unto thee , who art well pleased , because I am anxiousfor thy welfare .

2 Neither the hosts of Suras 1 nor the great Rishisknow of my birth because I am the origin of all the gods and greatRi shis . 3 T he mortal who knoweth me

,a s unborn and without

beginning,the mighty Lord of the world

,i s undeluded

,and is freed

from all sin.

4,5 T he va rious qualities incident to natural beings

,

such as reason,knowledge

,unembarrassed judgment

,patience

,

truth , humility , meekness , pleasure and pain birth and death , fearand courage ; mercy , equa li ty , gladness , charity , zeal , renown andinfamy

,all distinctly come from m e .

6 80 in former days theseven great B ishisfZ the four Ancients , 3 and the Mana s ‘i partakingof my nature

,were born from my mind

,from whom are descended

all the inhabitants of the earth .

7He who knoweth truly this pre- eminence and mystic powerof mine

,is without doubt endued with an unerring devotion .

8 Iam the creator of a ll things

,and all things proceed from me .

T hose who are endued with spiri tual wisdom believe this andworship me 9 their very hearts and minds are in me they rej oiceamongst themselves

, and delight in speaking of m y name andtea ching one another my doctrine .

10 I gladly inspire those whoare constantly employed in my service

,with that mental devotion

,

(buddhi -yoga) by which they come unto me .

1 1 And,in compas

sion,dwelling in their souls , I dissipate the darkness of their

ignorance wi th the light of the lamp of wi sdom .

ARJUNA .

1 2 T hou art the Supreme Brahma , the supreme abode , theholiest of the holy , the eterna l Purusha , first of gods , the unborn ,the Lord .

13 T hus all the R ishis proclaim ,as also the divine Ri shi ,

Narada ; 5 thus also Asita , 6 Devala ," andVyasa ; 8 thus thou thyselflAn inferio r cla ss ofgods connected with the sun. In the Mahabhara ta they

fight aga inst the Asura s .

2 The seven grea t Rishis were the mind-bo rn sons ofBrahma, m’

z.,Manclu

,

Atri,Augira s

,Pul a stya ,

Pul aha ,and Kra tu with Va sishta .

3 The four mind-born sons ofBrahm a , Sanaka , Sanandana , Sanatana , Sana tkumara .

4 The Manus , in the la ter mythology , a re 1 4 innumber .5 Nara da is mentioned inMann,

1. 35, a s one ofthe t en progenitors ofmankindWho came forth from Brahm a.

6ARishi who dwel t nea r theHima laya s .

7Ason ofVisvam it ra , who became a Rishi by his austerities .8 The supposed compi ler ofthe Mahabhara ta , &c .

LECTURE X . 85

hast told me .

14 I firm ly believe O Resava,all thou tellest me .

Neither the gods nor the danavas are acqua inted,O Lord

,with

thy manifestations . 15 T hou alone , 0 best of beings ! knowestthyself by thyself thou , who art the creator of all things , Lord ofall

,the God of gods , and the universal Lord .

1 6 B e pleased todeclare fully thy divine emanations by which thou constantlypervade st all these worlds . 1 7How m ay I know thee , O Y ogi, byalways meditating on thee ? In what manifestations

,O mighty

Lord,mayest thou be thought of by me 18 T ell me aga in fully

,

OJan-i rdana ,2 thy Yago and thy perfections (vibhz

’

t ti) for hearingthis nectar I fee l no satiety .

KR I SHNA .

19 Blessings be upon thee I will make thee acquainted withonly the chief of my divine emanations

,as the extent of my nature

i s infinit e .

! O I am the self seated in the heart s3 of all beings . I am thebeginning

,the middle

,and also the end of all beings . 2 1 Among

the Adityas“I am Vishnu among shining bodies the re splendent sun.

I am Marichi5 among the Maruts,and the moon among the con

ste lla t ions .

6 99 Among the Vedas I am the Sama -Veda I am

Indra among the gods of the senses I am the m ama s in livingbeings

,the intellect (buddhfi) .

2 3 I am Sankara7 among theRudras , andVitte sa s among the Y ak sha s and Rakshasas . OftheVa sus9 I am Pavak a (fire ) of mountain peaks I am Meru .

94 Amongst domestic priests know tha t I amVriha spa ti amongstwarriors I am Skanda , and amongst wate rs I am the ocean .

2 5 I amB hrigu amongst the great R i shi s and of words the syllable (OM) .Ofsacrifice s

,I am the jam

”sa crifice amongst firm ly

-fixed

(mountains) theHimalaya .

96 Among the trees I am a su-a ttha

,

and of divine Ri shi s Narada ; of Grandha rva s l l I am Chitrara tha ;among the perfect ones theMum}Kapila 1 2 97 Know that amongst

1Descendants ofDanu , sa id t o be demons ofthe a ir .

2 A name ofKrishna , expla ined a s extirpa tor ofthe wicked o r vexer ofhis0

3 The soul , usua lly sa id t o be the size ofthe thumb , is suppo sed to be sea ted inthe hea rt .

4 So la r deities .

5 The chief ofthe Ma ruts or storm gods . In Mann i . 2 5 he is one ofthe tenprogenito rs ofgods and m en.

6 The 2 7Nak sha t ra s or luna r mansions traversed by the moon.

7Aname ofS iva , ca lled a t an ea rly period Rudra , the fa ther ofthe Rudra s ,representing storms .

3 A name ofKuvera , the god ofwea l th .He is chief ofthe demons who gua rdhis trea sures .

9 Eight inferior gods, a ttendants ofIndra . Their names meanwa ter,wind , fire ,

10 Silent medita tion or prayer .1 1 Musicians ofthe god s .

1 2 Kapila wa s the author ofthe Sankhya system ofphilosophy.


horse s I am Uchcha ihsrava s ,’l born of am rita of elephants,Airava ta ,

and among men , the king .

2 8Among weapons I am the r ajm(thunderbolt) of cows the Kam aduk ; I am the progenitor Kan

darpa of serpents I am Vzisuk i . 3 99 Among Naga snakes I am

Ananta ; among beings of the waters , Varuna .

4‘ O i the Pitri s IamAryam afi and of judges , Y ama

30Among the Da itya s I am Prahlada ; of things that measure ,I am Ka la (t ime) . Ofwild beast s I am the lord of beasts (lion ortiger) andVa ina teya 6 of birds .

31 O i purifiers I am theWind ;of those that bare weapons

,Rama . O i fishe s I am Maka ra ,’and

of rivers I am the Ganges .

32 O i emanations (creations) I am thebeginning and the end

,and also the m iddle . Among sciences I

am the science ofAdhyatm an of orators I am Speech .

33 I am theletter A among letters the dwa ndwa g in compound words ; I am

also endles s T ime ; I am the Supporter whose face turns everywhere .

34 I am Death that seizes all,and the Origin of all to

come among female words I am Fame,Fortune

,Speech , Memory ,

Intelligence , Constancy , and Patience .

35Among the songs of theSaima Veda I am theVriha tsam an

,the Gayatri among metres ; of

m onths I am theMarga sirsha ; 9 arid of seasons theflowery Spring .

36 O i cheats I am the game of Dice and the Splendour of thesplendid . I am Victory , I am Perseverance

,I am the Goodness

of the good .

37 O i the race ofVrishni I am Vasudeva , of thePandavas the Subduer of wealth

, (Arjuna) . Ofthe m ums I amVyasa , and of wise men , Usana , 1 1 the sage .

38 1 am the Rod of thosewho restrain

,and the Policy of thosewho wish to conquer . O i secret

things I am Silence,and Knowledge of those who know .

39 1 am ,

ln like manner, 0Arjuna , that which i s the seed of all things 1n

nature ; and there 1s not any thing , movable or immovable , thatcan exist without me .

40My divine perfections are without end ,and the many which I have mentioned are only by way

.

of example .

41 And learn,O Arjuna

,that every thing which i s worthy of

distinction and pre em 1nence,is the produce of a porti on of my

glory .

42 But what, 0 Arjuna , hast thou to do with thi s manifold

wi sdom .

9 I stand supporting all this by only a single part of myself .

1 The name ofthe horse suppo sed t o be crea ted When the gods churned theo cean.He became the horse ofIndra , a sAirava ta wa s his elephant .

2 Kama,the god oflove .

3 The king ofthe serpents in Pa ta la , who wa s co iled round the mounta inManda ra a t the churning ofthe ocean.

4 O rigina lly the lord ofheaven and ea rth a fterwa rds lord ofthe wa ters .

5 The chief ofthe ancient fa thers .

6 Vishnu’s bird ,the G a ruda .

7 A sea monster on which Va runa rides .

3 The copula tive compound .

9 Pa rt ofNovember and December .1 0Aname ofKrishna , descended fromVrishni ofthe Yadava ra ce .

1 1 Usana wa s the teacher ofthe Asura s, the tutor ofBal i .

LECTURE XI . 37

LECT URE XI .

THEMANI F EST AT IONO F THE UN IVERSAL F O RM.ARJUNA .

1 T his discourse of the supreme mystery , calledAdhyatm a,

which thou hast spoken for my b enefit , ha th taken away my delusion .

2 I have heard from thee , O lotus-eye d , a full account of thecreation and destruction of all things , and also of the mightiness ofthy inexhaustible spirit .

3 According a s thou de clare st thyself to b e , 0 supreme Lord 1I desire to see thy form as I shwara , 0 best of beings . 4 Ifthouthinkest that it may be beheld by me , O Lord of Yoga , show methy imperishable self .

KRI SHNA .

5 Behold my forms,by hundreds , and by thousands , various ,

heavenly , diverse in colour and shape .

6 See the Adityas,

1Va sus ,Rudra s , the twoAswins 2 and the Maruts3 also . See wonders

,in

numbers never seen before .

7 Behold,in this my body , the whole world animate and inani

mate,and all things el se thou hast a mind to see .

8 But as thou artunable to see with these thy natural eye s , I give thee a divineeye . Behold m y divine mystery .

SANJAYA.9Having thus spoken

, 0 King ,Hari , the great Lord of Yoga ,shewed toAr juna his supreme form as I shwara .

10 With manymouths and eyes

,with many wonderful sight s

,with many heavenly

ornaments , bearing many heavenly weapons 1 1 wearing heavenlyga rlands and vestments , anointed with heavenly unguents

,that

all-marvellous (form) shining , boundless , whose face i s turned onevery side .

1 2 If the lustre of a thousand suns were to burst forthat once in the sky , that would be like the splendour of that mightyOne .

13 T here the son of Panda then beheld in the body of the Godof gods

,the whole universe in one

,and divided into many parts .

14 T hen Dhananj aya4 wa s overwhelmed with wonder,and hi s hair

wa s raised on “ end .He bowed down his head before the God,and

thus addressed him with j oined hands .

ARJUNA .

15 O God,within thy body I see all the gods , as also all the

var1ed hosts of living beings and the Lord Brahma seated on his

1 The Aditya s were twelve so la r deities representing the months ofthe yea r .2 TheAswins were sons ofthe Sun.

3 The Ma ruts were the storm gods, the brothers ofIndra .

4 Conqueror ofwealth .

88 THE BHAGAVAD GITA .

lotus-throne,and all the Rishis , celestia l snakes .

15 I se e thee ,of countless forms , possessed of many arms

,stomachs , mouths , and

eyes on all side s ; b ut I can neither discover thy beginning , thymiddle

,nor thy end , 0 universal Lord of all forms .

1 7 I seethee wi th a crown , and armed with mace and discus , a massof glory

,darting refulgent beams around . I se e thee

,difficult

to be seen,shining on a ll sides with light immeasurable , like the

burning fire or glorious sun.

1 8 T hou a rt the Supreme Being,incorruptible , worthy to be

known T hou ar t the prime Supporter of the unive rse I T hou artthe neverfa iling and eterna l Guardian of re ligi on 1 T hou art froma ll beginning

, and I esteem thee the everlasting Cause .

1 9 I se e thee without beginning , without middle , and withoutend ; of va lour infinit e ; of arms innumerable ; the sun and moonthy eyes ; thy mouth a blazing fire ,

and the whole world shiningwith thy refle ct ed glory ! 90 T he space betwe en the heavens and

the ea rth 1 s possessed by the e a lone , and every point a 1 ound : thethr ee worlds

,0 mighty Spirit behold the wonders of thy awful

countenance with trouble d minds .

81 O i the celestial hosts , someI se e fly to thee for refuge ; whilst some , a fraid , with j oined handssing forth thy praise .

T heMaharshis and Siddha s l cry Swa sti,glorifying thy

name wi th abundant songs of praise .

98 T he Rudras and Adityas ,theVa sus

,the Sadhya s ,

3 theViswa s , the twoAsw ,ins theMa ruts

,

the U shm apa s ,“1 with the groups of Grandharva s , Y ak sha s , Demons ,

and Siddh a s a ll stand ga zing on thee amaze d .

9 -8 Seeing thy mightyform , with many mouths and e yes ; with manya rms

,legs

,and feet ;

with many s t omachs and j aws se t with fea rful teeth ; the worlds alikewith me a re t e rrifi ed .

2 1 When I se e thee , touching the heavens andshining with such glory ; of such va riou s hues , wi th widely-opene dmouths

,and bright expande d eyes

,I am disturbed within me ; my

resolution faileth me,and I find no rest .

85Having beholden thy dr eadful tee th ,and gazed on thy

countenance,em blem of T ime’s la st fire ,

5 I know not which way toturn I find no peaceHave mercy then , 0 God of gods ! thoumansion of the universe

86 87 T he sons of Drit ara shtra now, with all those rulers of theland

,B h1shm a

,Drona

,the son of S i

’

i ta ,

6 and even the flower of ourarmy

,seem to be pre cipitating themselves hastily into thy mouths

,

1 De ifi ed mo ra l s,lea rned in the Veda s , sa id t o be in num ber .

2Welfa re ! m ay it be well !3An o rder ofinferio r gods .

4Acla ss ofpitris .

5 The wo rld a t the end ofa ka lpa is destroyed by fi re , which the se rpent Anantaca sts from his mouth .

6 S t’ita means cha rio teer . Ka rna’s fo ster:fa ther wa s the cha rioteer ofDri

t a ra sht ra .He wa s rea lly the eldest brother ofthe Pandava s , but wa s brought upa s a cha rio teer .



the universe . T hou art the Knower and the Known , the supremeMansion by thee , O infinit e Form ,

the universe is pervaded . T houa rt Y ami ,

l Y ama , Agni ,Varnna ,theMoon

,Prajapati

,

2 and Grandsire .Hai l to thee , a thousand times a ll ha il . Aga in and yet again ,all hai l to the e .

40Ha i l to thee from before,hail to thee from behind

,

hail to thee from all sides, 0 mighty All . Infinite is thy power

and glory . T hou pervade st a ll things,wherefore thou a rt all

things . 41 Ifthinking thee my fr iend I cried lightly,O Krishna ! O

Yadava ,

3 or O F riend no t knowing thy gre a tne ss , and carelessin the fondness of my love ; if j esting I have shown you disrespect at play

,sleeping

,sitting or a t mea ls

,a lone

, 0 sinl e ss One,

or with others,pardon me

, 0 B e ing inconce ivable .

48 T hou art the Fa ther of a ll things animate and inanimatethou art the sage Instructor of the whole , worthy to be adoredT here i s none like unto thee where , then in the three worlds , i sthere one above thee ?

44W’herefore I bow down and , with my body prostrate uponthe ground

,crave thy mercy

,Lord ! worthy to be adored ; for thou

shoul dst bear with me , even as a father with his son , a friendwith his fri end

,a lover wi th his beloved .

45 I am well pleased with having beheld things before neverseen yet my mind i s overwhelmed with fear .Have mercy

,then

,_

0 heavenly Lord ! 0 mansion of the universe ! and show me thycelestial form .

46 I wish to behold thee with the diadem on thyhead

,and thy hands armed with mace and discus assume then , 0

God of a thousand arms and endless form s,thy four-armed form .

KR I SHNA .

47”Well pleased, O Arjuna , I have shown thee , by my mystic

power , thi s my supreme form ,universa l , glorious , infinite , and

e tem a l , which was never seen by any one except thyself48 For no one

, 0 va liant Kuru in the three worlds , except thyself,can such a sight of me ob tain nor by the Vedas , nor sa crifice ,nor profound study nor by cha ritable gifts

,nor by deeds , nor by

the most severe m ort ifica tions of the fle sh .

49Having beholden myform

,t hus awful

,be not disturbed

,nor let thy facul ties be con

founded . Relieved from thy fears,and thy mind restored to peace ,

behold again my own familiar form .

SANJAYA .

50Vésudev'a‘

having thus spoken untoAijuna , showed him againhis natural form and having re -assumed hi s milder shape , hepresently assuaged the fears of the affrighted Ar

1 The god ofthe wi nd .

2 Lo rd ofCrea tures ,’progeni to r , Crea tor .3 Kri shna , a s a m an, belonged to the Yadava ra ce .

LECTURE XI I . 41

ARJUNA .

51Having beheld thygO '

ent le human shape , I am again collected ;my mind 1s no more di sturbed , and I am once more restored t omy natural state .

KRI SHNA .

T hou hast beholden this my marvellous shape , so Verydifficult to be seen ,

which even the gods are constantly anxious tobehold .

58 But I am not to be seen , as thou hast seen me,even

by the assistance of the Vedas , austerities , by sacrifice s , bycharitable gifts ; 54 but I am to be seen , to be known 1n truth

,and

entered into by means of that worship which 1s offered up to mealone ; 55 and he cometh unto me whose works are done for me ; whoesteemeth me supreme ; who 1s my servant only ; who 1S free fromattachment

,and who liveth amongst all men without hatred .

LECT URE XI I .

THE YOGA O FWO RSHIP .

ARJUNA .

1 Ofthose thy servants who are always thus employed , whichknow Y oga best those who worship thee a s thou now art or thosewho serve thee in thy unmanifested and imperi shable nature ?1

KRI SHNA .

9 T hose who having placed their minds in me , serve me withconstant zeal

, and a re endued with steady faith , are esteemed thebest devoted (yuktam ds) .

8 86 4 T hey too who,delighting in the welfare of all nature

,serve

me in my incorruptible,ineffable

,and invi sible form all-pervading

,

incomprehensible,dwelling on high

,fixed and immovable

,with

subdued passions and mind (buddhi) , equal-minded to all around ,shall al so come unto me .

5 T hose whoseminds are attached to the Unmanifested have thegreater labour to encounter because the path of the Unmanifestedi s difficult to be found by embodied beings .

6 T hey also who , preferring me , renounce all works for me , and ,free from theworship of all others

,contemplate and serve me alone .

7 I presently ra1se them up from the ocean of this world ofdeath , whose minds are thus attached to me .

8 Place,then, thy

1 Tho sewho wo rship Brahm a 1n some na tura l fo rm and tho se who worship him in

his higher spiritua l na ture . In the fi rst fo rm he 1s qya k ta ,manifested ; in the o ther

avya kta , unmanifested . The spiritua l worship is the higher , but i t is t oo difficul tfor the ma ss ofmankind .—Davies .

4 2 THE BHAGAVAD GITA .

heart on me , let thy m ind be stayed on me , and thou shalt , withoutdoubt

,hereafter enter unto me .

9 But if thou shouldst be unable,at once

,steadfastly to fixthy

mind on me , endeavour to find me by means of frequent devotion .

10 If thou art not equal to frequent devotion,then perform

works for my sake for by performing works with me for theirobject

,thou shalt attain perfection .

1 1 But shouldst thou find thyself unequal to this task,put thy trust

in me alone , be of humble spirit , and renounce the fruit of action .

19 Knowledge is better than practice ; meditation is betterthan knowledge and renouncing the fruit of works than meditation ;on renunciation peace follows close .

18 85 14He my servant i s dear unto me,who is free from

enmity,the friend of all nature , merciful , exempt from pride and

eg0 1sm ,the same in pain and pleasure

,patient of wrongs , con tented , constantly devout , of subdued passi ons , and firm resolves , andwhose heart and mind are fixed on me alone .

1 5He a l so is my beloved of whom mankind are not afraid,and

who of mankind is no t afraid : and who is free from the influenceof joy, impatience , and the dread of harm .

18He my servant is dear unto me who wants nothing,1s just

and pure,impartial , free from distraction of mind , and who hath

renounced every enterprsie .

1 7He also i s worthy of my love,

who neither rej oi ceth nor finde th fault ; who neither lam ent e t linor coveteth

,and

,being my servant , hath renounced both good

and evil . 1 8 51 19He also 1s my beloved servant, who 1s the same

to friend and foe,in honor and in dishonor

,in cold and m heat

,in

pain and pleasure ; who 1s unsolicitous about the event of things ; towhom pra1se and blame are as one ; who 1 s silent , and pleased withwhatever cometh to pass ; homeless and who 18 of a steady mind .

But those devotees who , endowed with faith , attend at the(banquet o i) this sacred nectar, making me their highest aim andworshipping me

,these are the dearest to me .

2

L ECT URE XI I I .

YOGA O F THE DIST INCT IONB ETWEENTHE KSHETRA3AND THE KSHETRAJNA. ”(Here the third pa rt ofthe Poem begins , trea ting, in part , ofthe physica l theory

ofthe Sankhya System . )KR I SHNA .

2 Learn that by the word Eshe t7 a i s implied thi s body, andthat he who 1s acquainted with it i s calledKshetm jna .

8 Know that1Ahanka'7 a ,

sel f consciousness, the feel ing tha t this 1s I , o r tha t I S mine .3 These a re the dea rest who medi ta te upon the Supi em e a s a pure spirit .3Ksheb a means litera lly fi e ld ; hence ma tter , a s tha t which 13 objective to the

soul . Eshet7 ajna means ma tter knowing, the soul .

LECTURE XIII .

I am that Kshe tm jna in every mortal frame . T he knowledge of theKshetr a and theKshetr ajna, i s by m e esteemed knowledge (indeed) .

4Now hear what that Kshe tra i s , what it re sem b le th ,what are

its different parts , what it proceedeth from ,who he i s—who knoweth

it , and what are it s powers . 5Ea ch ha th been manifoldly sung byRishis in various measures , and in well-thought-out Brahma-sutras ,full of argument .

6 T he great elements , 1 egoism (a hankafir a ) , intellect (buddhi) ,the unmanifested the ten senses

,the one (organ , the

m am a s ) , and the five obj ects of sense desire , hatred , pleasure ,pain , body, thought , courage , these are b riefly described as thekshetr a in its m odified forms .

7Humility,sincerity

,harmle ssness

,patience

,honesty

,service

to a preceptor,purity

,constancy

, s e lf-restra int , 8 indifferencetowards obj ects of sense , and ab sence of self- consciousness perception of the evil of birth

,death

,old age and disease

,9 freedom from

attachment,indifference towards son , wife , home and the rest , and

constant equanimity in desired or undesired events 10 constantworship of me without meditation on any other frequenting of solitary pla ces and distaste for assemblages of men ; 1 1 perseverancein acquiring knowledge of theAdhyatm a

,and perception of the

gain that comes from knowledge of the truth thi s is calledknowledge that i s ignorance which is O pposed to this .

19 I will now tell thee that which is the obj ect of knowledge,

knowing which immortality is gained the supreme Brahmawithout beginning

,neither existent (sa t) nor non-existent (a sa t) .

13 It has hands and feet on all sides ; i t ha s eye s , heads , andfaces , and ears , on all sides ; it pervade s everything in the world .

14Without the senses,but possessing all the knowledge derived from

them unattached,yet sustaining all things free from (the

influence of the three) qualities , yet posses sing every quality .

15Without and within all beings motionless and yet moving ;undiscernible through its subtlety ; afar and yet near .

18 It i s undivided,yet in all things it standeth divided .

3 It i sto be known as the sustainer of all things ; it i s that which nowde stroye thf‘ and now produce th .

1 7 It i s the light of lights , and it i s declared to be beyonddarkness . It i s wisdom

,that which i s the obj ect of wisdom , and

that which i s to be obtained by wisdom and is placed in thehearts of all . 18 T hus hath been b riefly described what i s kshetra ,

knowledge,and the object of knowledge .He who worshippeth me

1 E a rth , fi re , wa ter , sound , and ether .2 Different explana tions a re given oftho se terms . One is tha t sa t means the

fvya k ta (manifested) , and a sa t the a rya kta (unmanifested) .3 Every thing being rea lly one

,the va rious manifesta tions ofthe Brahman

a re rea l ly one in essence — T e lang.

1At» the end ofa Ka lpa .

44 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A .

knowing this i s fit ted to become one with me .

19 Learn thatboth Prakriti and Purusha are without beginning , and know tha tall developments and their qualities sprlng from Prakriti .

2 0 Pra

krit i 1s said to be the cause of the activityof the organs of action ;Purusha 1s called the cause oi. the sensat i on of pleasure and pain .

2 1 ForPurusha,when joinedwithPrakriti

,experi ences the influence

of the qualities which sprm g from Prakriti . Its connection withthese qualities 1s the cause of. it s birth in a good or evil womb .

2 2 T he supreme Purusha ln this body I S called observer,director

,

protector , partaker , the great Lord , and the suprem e se lf also .

2 3He who knoweth this Purusha and the Prakriti , togetherwith the qualities

,to be even so as I have described them

,however

living , 2 he i s not again subj ect to mortal b irth .

2 4 Some by meditation see the SEL F in the self , by the SEL Fothers by the sankhya-yoga , and~others by the Karma-yoga .

3

2 5 O thers aga in , who are not acquainted with this , but haveheard it from others

,worship . But even these , who act but from

the report of others,pass beyond the gulf of death .

2 6 Know , 0 chief of the race of Bharata , that every thing whichi s produced in nature

,whether animate or inanimate

,i s produced

from the union of Kshetm and Kshe trajna , (matter and spirit) .

2 7He who seeth the Supreme Lord dwelling alike in all beings,and '

not destroyed though they are destroyed,seeth indeed .

2 8 Forhe whoseeth the Lord abiding everywhere alike doth not destroy himselfby himself

,and thus goeth to the supreme self . 2 9He who seeth

that works are wrought in every case by Prakriti, and that therefore the soul i s not the doer , seeth indeed ,

80When he seeth thatthe varied natures of beings exist in and proceed from it ,then he

.

becometh one with Brahma .

’81 T his eternal Supreme

Spirit,without beginning

,without qualities

,doth not act

,and

is not soiled even when it i s embodied .

82 As the all -pervadingaka sha is not soiled through its subtlety

,so the soul stationed

everywhere in the body is not soiled .

5 88As a single sun illum ina te th the whole world , so the Kshe tr a ina lighteth up the wholeKshe tm .

84 T hose who by the eye of knowledge thus understandthe difference between Kshe tm (matter) and Kshe t7~aj77 a (spiri t ,matter-knowing) and the deliverance of beings from Prakriti ,

6

go

to the Supreme .

1 Developments = body, senses , &c . ! ua l ities = plea sure

,pa in, &c .

—T elang.

2 Though he m ay have transgressed rules .

”-T e lang.

3Medita tion,fixing the mind exclusively on the soul .

‘ See the sel f, 7 .e ., the soul

in the sel f ,’within themselves ; by the sel f ,’ by the mind . Sankhya -yoga : bel ieftha t qua lities a re distinct from the sel f

,which

i

is only a pa ssive specta to r oftheiropera tions . Ka rm a -yoga dedica tion ofa ctions to the Supreme — T e lcm g.

4Abso rbed in one a t the end ofa Ka lpa ,and proceeding from it -a t the time of

crea tion.5The soul is no t connected with the bodily faults ofthe guna s , and ha s

therefo re no guilt upon it .

6 The soul becoming free from a ll contact with ma tter on a tta ining m ukt i .

LECTURE XIV. 45

LECT URE XIV.

YOGA B Y SEPARAT ION F ROMTHE THREE GUNAS .

KRI SHNA .

1 I will now reveal unto thee the most sublime knowledge,

supe i ior to all others , which having lea rnt , a ll the 777 777773 havepassed from it to supreme perfe ction .

2 Hay 1ng acquired thisknowledge

,they enter into my nature and a re not born again when

a ka lpa begins , nor disturbe d a t the general dissolution .8 T he

mighty Brahma i s my w .omb In it I place my foetus ; and fromi t cometh all things that exist . 4 T he mighty Brahma is the wombof all those yar1ons forms which are conceived in every naturalwomb

,and I am the father who soweth the seed .

5 T here are three 97777 773 arl sm g from 13 7 71177 777 S a ttwa (goodness) , B aja s (passion) , and T ama s ( da rkness) and each of themconfine th the incorruptible spirit

'

in the body 6 0fthese goodness

,because of its purity , i s clear and free from defect

, and

entwine th the soul with the bond of happiness and knowledge .

7 Know that passion,being of the na ture of desi re , bindeth the soul

with the bond of action .

8But know tha t darkness , born ofignorance

,de lude th all embodied souls , and bindeth them by

heedlessness,i dleness

,and sleep .

9 Goodness bindeth by pleasure ;pa ssion by action ; but darkness , having shrouded knowledge

,

bindeth by folly .

10When passi on and darkness have been overcome,

goodness remaineth ; 3 when passion and goodness , then darkness ;when darkness and goodness

,then passion (remaineth) .

1 1Whenthe bright light of knowledge preva i leth at all the gates of thebody , one may know that goodness is ma tured .

1 2 Avarice,

activity,undertaking of works

,restlessness

,desire , are produced

from the prevalency of passion .

18Darkness , inertness , stupidity and delusion are produced when darkness 1s matured .

14 If a mortal meeteth death when goodness prevaileth,he goeth

to the spotless worlds of those who know the h ighest . 15Encountering death when passi on prevaileth , he 1s born amongst those whoare attached to the fruits of their actions ; if he depart when darknessprevaileth

,he

i

is born in the wombs of the ignorant .5 1 6 T he fruitof a good action is said to be goodness and to be spotless the fruitof passion is pain and the fruit of darkness is ignorance .

1 7 Fromgoodness is produced knowledge from pa ssion , avarice ; and from

1 Prakriti is the womb .

2 They bind it t o bodily conditions in a new birth ,preventing it from a tta ining

absorption.

3 The effects ofea ch qua li ty a ssert themselves,when the other two a re held in

check .—T e la 71g.

4 Do ing absolutely no thing .

—T e la 77g.

5 Born a s a bea st , reptile , &c .


darkness,negligence , delusion , and ignorance .

18 T hose who aresettled in goodness , rise up ;

1 those whose nature is of passion, re

ma in in the middle ; while the dark , who abide in a sta te of Vilequalities

, go down .

1 9When the seer perceiveth no agent exceptthe 9 7777 77 7 , and knoweth what is above the 97777773 , he entere th into mybeing .

2 0When the embodied (self) hath pas sed beyond the three97777 778 , from which all bodies have sprung , then , freed from birth ,

death,old age

,and pain

,it drinketh the nectar of 77 7777 73777 .

ARJUNA .

2 1 B y wha t marks is i t known that a m an hath passed overthese three 9 77 77 773 What i s his practice ? What are the meansby which he overcometh them

KRI SHNA .

2 2He, 0 son of Pandu, who hateth not brightne ss , activity ,

nor even delusion,when th ey come upon him , nor longeth for them

when they disappe a r ; 2 2 8who , like one who is of no pa rty , i sunagitated by the 9 7777 773 ,who standeth apart andwavereth not , thinking merely that the 9 7777773 a re now in action .

2 ‘1He to whompleasure and pain are alike , self—contained , to whom a clod , a stone ,and gold are alike ; the same to things loved and unloved firm

to whom praise and blame are equal 2 5 the same in honour anddisgrace ; who regardeth friend and foe alike ; who renounce th

all action ; such a one hath surmounted the 9 7777 773 .

2 8And hewho serveth me alone by the 9 09 77 of devotion , having overcomethe influence of the 9 7777 7 78 , i s fi t for absorption into Brahma .

3

2 7 For I am the abode of Brahma , of imperishable ambrosia , ofeternal 7717 777 777 77

,and of complete happiness .

LECT URE XV.

YOGA INAT T AINING PURUSHO T TAMA.“11 T hey say that the eternal 1518 777777777 775 hath its roots above

,

i ts branches below,it s leaves are hymns ; he Who knoweth it ,

knoweth the Vedas . 2 Its branches shoot forth upwards and downwards

,nourished by the 9 7777 778 i ts buds are the obj ects of the

1 Bo rn a s gods ; middle , a s m en down, a s brutes .

2Who does no t feel troubled ,fo r instance , thinking now I am a ctua ted byamo tion ofpa ssion o r da rkness , and so forth .

”-T e lang.

3 Krishna cla ims t o be Brahma .

4 The word means the best ofm en,but here the supreme soul is to be

understood . It is a title ofVishnu .

5 The sa cred fig tree . Telang suppo sesAswa t tha to deno te the course ofwo rldlyl i fe . The roo ts which extend downwa rds a re the desiresfo r va rious enjoyments .

Davies suppo ses it t o conta in an a tta ck on the autho rity ofthe Veda s . Apa ssivesta te ofindifi erence to a ll worldly interests is superior t o the observance oftheVedicrites.



the highest existence , called the supreme Spirit , who as the e te rnalLord pervade th the three worlds and supporte th them .

1 8 Since I excel the Perishable and am higher than even the Imperi shable , I am celebrated in the world and in the Vedas a s thebest of beings ( 1

97777 73170 7777 777a ) .

lHe who is no t deluded and

knoweth me to be thus , the Supreme Existence , he , knowing all ,worshippeth me in every way.

1 9 T hus , 0 Arjuna , have I ma de known unto thee this mostmysterious doctrine and he who underst ande th i t shall be a wiseman , and the performer of a ll that i s fi t to be done .

LECT URE XVI .

THEYOGA O F DIVIS IONB ETWEENG O DSAND ASURAS .

l F e arle ssne ss , purity of heart , steadfastness in the Y oga ofwi sdom ,

almsgiving , self-restraint , and sacrifice ,study of the Vedas

,

austerity,uprightness , 2 harmlessness , truth , freedom from anger,

renunciation,tranquillity , kindness , universal compassion , absence

of desire,mildness , modesty , gravity , 8 courage , patience , firm ne ss ,

chastity,freedom from vindictiveness and vanity these are hi swho

i s born with divine qualities . 4Deceit , pride , self- conceit , anger ,and also harshness and ignorance are his who is born with demoniac(Asuric) qualities .

5Divine qualities are deemed to be for liberationthe demoniac for bondage .

2 Grieve not, 0 son of Bharata , thou art

born with divine qualities . 8 T here are two kinds of beings in thi sworld

,the divine

, and the demoniac . T he divine hath beenfully explained .Hearfrom me what is the demoniac .

7Demoniacpersons know not action or inaction ; 3 no purity or good conductor truth is found in them .

8 T he world , they say , is withouttruth

,devoid of order or a ruler

,produce d by union (ofthe sexes) ,

caused by lust , and nothing else .

” 9 Fixed in thi s view, those

ruined souls,of little understanding,r and cruel in deeds , are born

for the destructionof the world .

10Entertaining insatiable desires,

full of deceit,vanity and folly , they hold false notions through

d elusion,and lead impure lives .

1 1 Indulginginnumberless thoughtsending in death

,given up to the enj oyment of obj ects of desires

,

feeling sure that that is all . 1 2 Bound by the hundred bands of hope,

and placing all their trust in lust and anger , they seek by injusticethe accumulation of wealth

,for the gra t ifica t ion of their lusts .

13 T his , to-day , hath been acquired by me . I shall obtainthat desire of my heart . T his wealth I have , and that shall I1 The three existence a re Prakriti , Brahma, and the Supreme Spirit Brahma .

2 Birth and dea th in this wo rld .

3Wha t shoul d be done , and wha t shoul d not be done .

4 They deny the exi stence ofa creator , and say tha t lust is the cause ofthisworld.

LECTURE xvn. 49

have also .

14 T his foe have I already slain,and others will I

forthwith vanquish . I am a lord , and I enjoy I am successful ,I am powerful , and I am happy ; 1 5 I am rich , of noble birth , andwhere i s there another like unto me I will sacrifice , I will givealms , and be me rry . In thi s manner do these men talk , deludedby ignorance .

18 Surrounded by the net of delus ion,devoted to the

enj oyment of their desires,they fall down into an impure hell

(Naraka ) .1 7 Being self conceited

,stubborn , and ever in pursuit of wealth

and pride , theyoffer ,Wi thhypocmsy,llp

- sa cr1fice s andno t a ccordlngto divine ordination ; 18 devoted to egotism ,

violence,lust and anger,

these revilers hate me in their own bodies and m those of others .1 9 T hese men , ha ting (me) , cruel , the Vi lest of m ankind , impure , Ica st down perpetually into the wombs of asuras .

2 0Having entereddemoniac wombs

,deluded in every birth

,they go down to the Vi lest

state without ever coming to me .

2 1 T he threefold gate of helllust , wrath , and avari ce— i s t

_he ruin of the soul ; therefore let every

man renounce these three .

2 2 T he man released from these threeways to da rknes s

,worketh out his own welfare

,and thus proceedeth

to the highest goal . 2 8He who ab andone th the ordinances of thesastras , to follow the dictates of his lusts , a t t aine th neither pericetion, happiness , nor the highest goal . 2 4 T herefore let the Sa strasbe thy rule ln determining what 1s to be done or left undone .

Knowing what i s declared by the ordinances of Scripture,so

oughtest thou to act .

LECT URE XVI I .

YOGA B Y THE THREEF O LD KINDS O F F A ITH .

ARJUNA .

‘

1What is the state of these men who oii er sa crifice andworship with faith

,yet neglect the

r

pre cepts of the Sa stras ? Isi t one of “Goodness

, Passion , Darkness?

KR I SHNA .

2 T he faith of the embodied i s threefold , each born o i. i t sown nature .

2 It i s good,

“ passionate,

r“dark

” in kind .Hear what these are : 3 T he faith of every one agrees with hisnature . Whatever is a man’sfa ith,

that i s a man himself .3 ‘1 Menof goodness worship the Devas ; men of passion , Y ak sha s andRakshasas ; men of darkness , Pretas and B huta s .

* 5Men who1 There is trouble t o onesel f in sa crifi ce s , and t o the anima ls kill edfor them .

T e lang.

2Aman’s swa bhdva , or indi vidua l na ture , is supposed to a rise from his a ctions

in a former birth .

3 A man’s fa ith or bel ief, shows his cha ra cter .4 Foul demons frequenting graveya rds or burning grounds.


prac t ise severe austerities , not authori sed by the S eistra ,full of

hypocrisy and self- conceit , ful l of lust , passion , andViolence .8 T hose

fool s torturing the g1 oups of organs in the body,and me also

sea ted in the body ; know that these have a demoniac tendency .

7 T he1 e are thre e kinds of food which are dear unto a ll

men ; so also are sacrifice,austerity

, and almsgiving .Hear whatare their distinctions .

8 T he food that i s dear unto the good is such as increasestheir length of days , their power and their strength , and keepsthem free from sickness

,happy

,and contented . It 1s plea sing to

the palate , nourishing , permanent , and congenial to the body .

9Men of “ passi on ” de sire bitter,sour

,saline

,over-hot

,pungent

,

harsh,inflam ing foods , causing pain,

grief,and sickness .

18 T hatwhich 1s sta le , tasteless , putrid and corrupt , leavings also and fi lth ,

i s the food dear to men of darkness .

”

1 1 T hat sa crifice which is directed by divine precept,and i s

performed without the desire of reward , a s necessary to be done ,and with an at tentive mind , is

“ good .

1 2 T he sa crifice whichi s performed with a View to the frui t and for ostentationis passionate .

18 T he sa crifice which is performed against the precepts of(scripture) , without the distribution of food , withou t the usual invocations

,without gifts to the Brahmans

,and without faith

,i s

dark .

”

1 4Respect to the gods , Brahmans , Gurus , and the wise , withpurity

,rectitude

,life as a B rahm a charin

,and innocence

,are called

the austerity of the body .

15 Speech that causes no agitation , whichi s truthful

,pleasant and good

,with the constant recitation ofthe

Sa stras , i s called the austerity of speech .

18Calmness of mind ,equanimity

,silence

,self control

,and purity o i. nature , these are

ca lled the austerity of the heart (777 7777 773) 1 7 T his threefold austeritypra cti sed by devout men in perfect faith , who long not for thefruit of action

,i s called ‘ ‘

.good 18T he austeritywhl ch 1s done for thesake of gaining respect

,honour

,and reverence

,and with hypocri sy ,

i s called passion-born it is uncertain and transitory .

1 9 T hatausterity i s called dar k which is done for a foolish purpose , forthe torture of one’s self

,or to destroy another . 2 0 T he gift which i s

bestowed by the disinterested , because it i s po

roper to be given , indue place and season

,and to proper objects , i s good .

2 1 T hat which i s given in expectati on of a return , or for thesake of the frui t of the action , and with reluctancy , i s

‘ ‘

pa ssiona te fi’

2 2 T hat which 1s given out of place and season , and to unworthyobjects

,and

,at the same time

,ungraciously and scornfully , 1s

pronounced to be dark .

2 8 OM, TAT and SAT are said to be the threefold designationof Brahma . B y T hat Brahmans , the Vedas , and sacri fice s werecreated of old .

2 4Hence OMi s always uttered by thosewho know

LECTURE XVI I I . 51

Brahma at the beginning of sacrifice , a lms , and aus terity orda inedby rule .

2 5 TAT l

(that) i s said when the various kinds of sa crifice ,austerity , and alms a re done without expectation of fruit by thosewho desire emancipation .

2 8 SAT 2 i s employed to denote truth andgoodness . It is also used in the sense of a praiseworthy act .

2 8 Whatever i s performed without faith,whethe r it be sa crifice ,

deed of cha rity , or austerity , i s ca lled 1 13 7775 ;3 and is of no account

for this world or that which is above .

LECT URE XVI I I .

THE YOGA O F L IB ERAT ION B Y RENUNC IAT ION .

(Ih this chapter the author a sserts aga in some ofthe loading doctrines oftheY oga Schoo l . (Davies )

ARJUNA .

1 I wish much to comprehend the true nature of abandonment(3 7777779 713 77) and a lso of renunciation each separately .

KRI SHNA .

2 B y abandonment the wise understood the rej ection of actionsdone with desire the wise call the forsaking of the fruit of worksrenunciation .

3 Some wise m en declare that (a ll) action should beabandoned a s an evil others that works of sa crifice , almsgiving

,and

austerity,are not to be given up . Sa crifice s , alms

, and austerities ,are the purifica tion of the wise .

4 I t i s my certa in opinion anddecree , that such works are absolutely to be performed , leavinga s ide attachment and fruit . 5 T he abandonment of works whichare appointed to be performed

,i s improper . T he forsaking of

them , through folly' and distraction of mind , ariseth from the

influence of da rkness .8 T he forsaking of a work because it i s painful , and from the

dread of bodily affliction,ariseth from passion , and he who thus

leaveth undone what he ought to do,shall not obtain the fruit of

forsaking .

9 T he work which i s performed because it i s appointed andesteemed nece ssary to be done

,and with a forsaking of the

consequences and the hope of a reward,i s

,with such forsaking

,

declared to be good .

18 T he renouncer endowed with goodness , free from doubts ,hath no aversion for an unprosperous work

,and no attachment for

1 T a t , Tha t , a s used in T a t twum 773 73, Thou a rt tha t , means the who le universe ;but mo re strictly it deno tes the abso lute exi stence ofa l l things in Brahma .

2 S a t deno tes tha t which is” —the sum ofexisting things . Acco rding to

Sanka ra ,it is employed a t the birth ofa son

,ma rriage

, &c . T he use ofthese termsis sa id t o cure any defects in the actions .

3 Unrea l , b ad .


one that i s prosperous .

1 1 It 1s impossible for an embodied personto refra in entirely f1 om a ction ; but he who ab andone th thefru7 t of acti on 1s said to be a renouncer .

1 2 T he thre efold fruitof action , wi shed for , unwished for , and mixed— accrues a fter deathto those who are not possessed of abandonment

,but never to

renouncers .

1 13 Learn from me the five conditions declared in theSankhya system as necessa ry for the completion of every a c t .

1 4 T he seat of action , the agent , thevar1ous organs , the variousmovements

,also

,a s fifth ,

the deities .

2

1 5 T he work which a man under tak e th ,either with his body

,

his speech,or his mind

,whether it be lawful or unlawful

,ha th

these five agents engaged in the performance .

1 8 T hi s being so ,

the man dull 1n intellect who regards himself as solely the agent

,

doth not see rightly .1 7He who hath no feeling of egoism

,

3 andwhose mind 1 s not ta inte d

,

2 even though he kill (all) these peoplekilleth not

,i s not bound5 (by the action) .

1 8 In the direction of a work are three things knowledge,the

obj ect of knowledge , and the knower . T he accomplishment of awork is also thr eefold the implement

,the action

,and the agent .

19 T he action and the agent are each distingui shed by theinfluence of the three g7777 a s .Hear in what manner they a redeclared to be after the order of the thre e 9 7777 71 3 .

2 8 T hat by which one eternal e ssence i s seen in all beings, un

divided 1n the divided,i s good .

2 1 T hat knowledge 1 s of passionwhich sees in al l things va rious exi stences severally divided .

2 2 T hatwhich i s mean , interested in one single obj ect alone a s if it werethe whole

,without any just motive or design

,and devoid of truth

,

is pronounced to be dark .

2 8 T he action which i s appointed by divine precept,i s per

formed free from t he thought of it s consequences and withoutpassion or despite , by one who hath no regard for the fruit thereof ,'

s good .

2 4 T he action which is performed by one who is fond of thegra tifica tion of hi s lusts , or by the proud and se lfish,

and isattended with great effort , is dark .

2 5 T he acti on undertaken from delusion,without any foresight

of it s evil consequences,t o others or to one’s self

,i s declare d to be

dark .

2 8 T he agent who i s free from attachment and egoism,who is

1 Tho se who seek no rewa rd in a ction, desire t o be abso rbedfor ever in Brahma .

2 Telang expla ins them a s fo llows S ea t ofa ction,the body ; the a gent , one

who thinks himself the doer ofa ctions ; the va rious o rgans , senses ofperception,

a ction, &c . ; movements , the vita l brea ths in the body ; the divine pa rt , the deities

which preside ove r the senses . The fifth condi tion, says Davies, woul d b e adm i tted

only by the theistic branch ofthe S ankhya school .3 The feeling tha t he 15 the doer ofthe a ction.

4 The feeling tha t the frui t ofthe a ctionmust a ccrue to him .

5His actions do not bind him t o afuture birth .

LE CTURE XVI I I . 53

endued with fortitude and resolution,and is unaffected whether

his work succeed or no t,is said to b e ‘ ‘ good .

2 7 T he agent who 1s passiona te , desiring to obtain the fruit ofaction who 1s avari c i ous , crue l , 1m pure , who feels joy and sorrow

,

i s said to b e ‘ ‘ passiona te .

2 8 T he a gent who is inattentive,indiscreet , stubborn

,dissem

bling,mischievous , indolent , melancholy , and dilatory , i s dark .

”

2 9Hea r a lso what are the threefold divisions of intellect(6 777177177) and firm ne ss , according to the influence of the three97777 773 , which are about to be expla ined to thee distinctly andwithout reserve .

88 T he intellect which knoweth action and inaction , what isnece ssary and what is unnecessary

,what is fear and what i s not

,

what i s l ibera tion and what i s bondage , i s° go .od

31 T he intellect which doth not conceive justice and injustice,

what 1s proper and what 1s improper , as they truly are , i s passionate .

82 T he intellect which,being enwrapped indarkness , m istak e th

injustice for justice,and all things contrary to their true intent

and meaning,i s dark .

88 T ha t steady firm ne ss , with which a man , by Y oga ,re stra ine th

every action of the hea rt,the breath

,and the senses

,i s good .

84 T ha t firm ne ss by which a m an desirous of fruit, persiste th

in dha rm a,

1 in the gra t ifica tion of his lusts , and the acquisition ofwealth

,i s declared to be passionate .

85 T hat firm ne ss, bywhich a man of low capacity departeth not

from sloth , fear , grief , melancholy , and folly , i s dark .

88 Now hear what is the threefold division of pleasure T hatpleasure which a man enjoye th from his labour , and wherein hefinde th the end of his pa ins 87 and th a t which

,in the beginning

,

i s a poison,and in the end a s the nectar of immortality , i s declared

to be good,and to arise from a knowledge of the self .

88 T ha t pleasure which ariseth from the conjunction of theorgans with their obj ects

,which m the beginning 1s as sweet as the

nectar of immortality and m the end a s a pc l son,i s passionate .

89 T hat pleasure which in the beginning and the end tendethto stupefy

.

the soul, and ariseth from drowsiness , i dleness , and

s tupi dity , 1s pronouriced to be dark .

40 T here 1s not anything either lnheaven or earth , or amongstthe hosts of heaven

,which 1s free from the influence of these three

9 7777 773 which arise from Prakriti .41 T he duties of Brahmans

,Kshatriyas

,Vaisyas and Sudras

have been apportioned according to the qualities born of their ownnatures . 42 T ranquillity

,self-restraint

,austerity (tapa s) , purity ,

patience,rectitude , spiritual knowledge , and faith , are the natural

1 Evenrel igious a cts (dha rm a ) i f done with a ttachment , do not lead to l ibera tion ; they a re b ad as leading t o fresh births .


dut ies of a Brahman .

48 Valour , glory , courage , resolution inba ttle , libera lity , and lordly bea ring

, a re the na tural duties of aKshatriya .

44 Agriculture , tending of cattle , and tra de form thenatural duties of a Vaisya . T he na tura l duty of a Sudra consi ste thin service .

45Aman being contented with his own particula r lotand duty obtaineth perfe ction .Hear how that perfection 1 8 to beaccomplished .

48 T he man who maketh an offer ing of his own works to thatBeing from whom a ll be ings proceed

, and by whom the wholeuniverse is pervaded

,by that me ans obtaineth perfection .

47Betteri s one’s ownwork , though fau lty , than another

’s work well perform

e d .He who doeth the work prescribed by na ture incurre th no sin.

48No one should abandon his na tural work even though evil,for

every work i s surrounded by evil as fire by smoke .

49He whosem ind i s una ttached , self restra ined in every pa rt , in whom desirei s dead , obtaineth perfect freedom from a ction by renunciation .

50Learn from me b rieflyhow one who hath obta ine d perfectiona t ta ine th to Brahma

, the highest knowledge .

51 Gifted with a puremind

,controlling his self by courage

,rej ecting sound and other

obj ects of sense,casting offlove and avers1on ; 59Frequenting lonely

places , eating little , re straining speech , body , and heart , constantlyintent on devotion , 58 free from egm sm

, Violence , pride , lust , wrath ,avarice

,se lfi shne ss

,and who is tranquil , —he is fi t to be one with

Brahma .

1 54 T hus comprehending his identity with Brahma,calm

in spirit,he grieveth not

, wishe th not , being the same to all beings ,he a t ta ine th to supreme devotion in me .

55B y this devotion heknoweth me truly who I am , and how great I am . T hen havingknown me truly

,he entereth into my essence .

56Ever performingall actions

,a lways depending on me , he ,

through my favour,

ga ine th the eternal imperishable seat .2 57With thy heart place all

thy works on me ; prefer me to a ll things el se givenup to the yoga,of the mind

,think constantly of me ; 58 for by doing so thou shalt

,

by m y divine favor, surmount every difficulty which surrounde th

thee . B ut ii , through pride , thou wilt not listen unto my words ,thou sha lt undoubtedly be lost .

59From a confidence in thy own self- Sufficiency, thou maystthink that thou wilt not fight : such i s a falla cious determinati on

,

for the principles of thy nature will impel thee .

60 Bound by thy own duty , springing from thy nature , 3 thouwilt do even against thy will what through de lusion thou desirest toavoid .

61 T he Lord , res iding in the hearts of a l] , make th all things,

a s i f mounted on a machine , revolve by his delus ive power 68 T akerefuge in him alone then by his favour thou shalt obtain supremehappiness

,the eternal seat .

1 To‘be uni ted with him by fixed devo tion.

2 The supreme Brahma .

3Na ture a s a Ksha triya .


56 THE BHAGAVAD G I'I‘A.and again ! 78Wherever Krishna

,the Lord of yoga ,

may b e , wherever Arjuna , the mighty a rcher , may b e , there too , without doubt ,are prosperity , Victory , and justice . T his i s my firm belief .

THE BHAGAVAD GIT A EXAMINED .

INT RODUCT I ON.Exce llenc ie s oft he B ha gava d G it a .

— I t i s gladly allowed thatthe poem contains some noble sentiments . T he representations ofKr i shna in the B hagavad Gita are far higher than those in otherparts of the Mahabharata . In the latter

,Krishna is simply a great

hero,somewhat like Arjuna in the former he is the Supreme Being .

None of the degrading scenes connected with the history ofKr i shna in the Puranas are introduced .

T here are some sublime descriptions of God .He i s eternal,of

infinite power , of unme asured glory , omnipresent , the source of allthat exi st . T he poem is also strongly marked by the religiousnes swhich has always cha racterised theHindus . God is seen in al lthings

,and all things are seen in God . T he highest pleasur es and

honours of the world,even the enj oyment of Indra’s heaven , are

considered far inferior to union with Brahma . T he great obj ectof the poem is to show how this end may be gained . As apoet ical work

,the Gita 1s noted for it s beauty and sweetness .

T he ! ue s t ion.—B 1 shopCa ldwe ll says : T he quest1on b efore us

i s not,

—does the Gita abound m subtle distinctions and lngeniousparadoxes Nor i s it the question

,

—do we discover in it here andthere noble sentiments beautifully expressed ? T he question wehave to decide is this

,

—i s the claim set up in b ehalf of the Gita,that it i s inspired by the Moral Governor of the Universe , and thatit i s possessed 1n consequence of divine authority , warranted bythe essential characteri stics of it s teaching .

9

Suppose a person is ea ting food containing a variety of wholesome articles

,mixed with others which are poisonous . It 1s not

necessary to tell him which are good ; what he needs 13 caut ionagainst those that are hurtful . So here it is not requisite to pointout the truths ln the B hagavad Gita , but the deadly errors whichit contains .As already mentioned

,the B hagavad Grita seeks to reconcile

the Sankya and Y oga systems . Instead of difficult questions aboutphilosophy

,the points noticed will be mainly such as can be decided

by common sense .

EXAMINATION . 57

EXAMINAT ION .

1 . ARJUNAMO REHUMANE THAN KR I SHNA .

Arjuna having asked Krishna to station his chariot betweenthe two armies , thus spoke .

Seeing these kinsmen des irous to enga ge in ba ttle , my l imbs fa il me ;my body trembleth , I do not wish for victo1y,

for dominion or pl ea sure .Pi e cept 0 1 s , fa thers , sons a s well a s grandfa thers , ma terna l uncles ,fa thers -ih-law,

grandsons , bro thers -in-law, a s a l so (othe i ) r ela tives : these I

do no t wish t o kill though they kill me ; no t even for the sovereigntyofthe three wo 1 lds , how much les s thenfor this ea rt h ?How sha ll we behappy a fter killing our own rela tives .

9Ha ving spoken thusArjuna sa t down in his cha riot , overwhelm ed withgrie f . (i . 2 8 46 , abridged.)

Krishna’s reply :Whence , O Arjuna , this unwo rthy weakness , excluding from heavenand causing di sgra ce ? B e not unmanly ; ca st offthis ba se fa int -hea rt ed

$ 1

ness . (ii . 2 , p.

Krishna does not seem the least sorry that Arjuna should havegrieved at slaying his dearest relatives and friends , and call s thefeeling base faint heartedness . Which feeling was the morehumane the more godlike

2 . KRI SHNA’s REASON INGWITHARJUNA .

When Arjuna asked Krishna to tell him the right course ofconduct

,he received the reply given in pp. 1 1 -14 . T hree reasons

are assigned why he should fight :1 . T he soul

,unborn

,everlasting

,kil ls not , i s not killed .

Weapons cleave it not,nor does the fire burn it . As a man casting off

old garments takes others,so the soul casting offold bodies enters

others that are new .

2 . A lawful battle was the highest duty of. a Kshatriya,and

death when fighting was an Open door to heaven .

3 . Looking alike on pleasure and pain,he would not incur

T he 2 nd and 8rd reasons will be considered afterwards .Bishop Ca ldv‘ve ll shows the fallacy of the first reason by supposingit acted upon in common life :

“Am an a ccused ofmurde1 neither denies his guil t , nor pleads tha t hecommitted the a ct in sel f—defence , but addresses the Cour t in the langua geofKrishna .

‘ I t is needless ,’ he says , ‘t o t rouble yourselves about the

inquiry any further , for it is impo ss ibl e tha t any murder can ha ve t akenpla ce . The soul can neither kill , nor be killed . It is eterna l and indestruct ib le .When driven from one body it pa s ses into ano ther . Dea th isinevitable , and ano ther birth is equa lly inev itable . It is no t the pa rt therefo re ofwise m en, like the judges ofthis Court , t o troubl e them s elves aboutsuch things .

’Would the judges rega rd this defence a s conclusiv e ? G er

8

58 THE "

BHAGAVAD GITA .

tainly no t .Nor would it be regarded a s a conclusive defence by the friendsofthe murdered person, or by the world a t la rge . The crimina l mightborrow from the G it a’i a s many sou nding no things a s he liked , but the mo ra lsense ofthe com muni ty would continue t o rega rd his murder a s a cri me .”

“ Ifthe a rgument which Krishna us es respecting the slaughter ofre la tions is goodfo r any thing , it will ho ld good a lso when used respectingo ffences in genera l . Suppo s e then tha t a m an a ccused ofa dultery shoulddefend him sel f by saying , ‘ the soul can neither pollute by adult ery , nor b epolluted by it . It is not the pa rt ofa wise m an to feel any r emo rse aboutmere bodily phenomena ;’—would the injured husband apprecia t e this lineofdefence , or rega rd this philo sophy a s a conso la tion

“ Suppo se a ga in tha t a thief were to defend him s el f a fter the manner ofthe G it a The soul can neither stea l nor be sto len from . I t s wa lls canno tbe dug through with a crow -b a r . It canno t be tied up in a bundle and so ldin the Thieving Baza a r . Every thing tha t is ma teria l is mo vable .Whytrouble ye yourselves about the transfer ofmovables from one pla ce to

ano ther ?’—would the owner ofthe stolen property rega rd this philo sophya s a compensa t ionfor the loss he had susta ined ? or would the Court hesita t eto sentence the thief to the roads ‘

2When we thus pro ceed t o test the truth ofKrishna ’s tea ching by applying it to the affa irs ofo rdina ry life , the rope breaks a t the first pull .Here itmust be remembered tha t Krishna do es not ba s e his exho rt a t ions to Arjunaon the justice ofthe wa r in which he wa s enga ged . Tha t ground might ha vebeen t aken with propriety , and Ar juna wa s ev idently persuaded ofthe jus ticeofthe Panda va cause . B ut Krishna ’s a rguments a re not ba s ed on the‘ limi t ed idea s’ ofjustice and necess ity , but upon transcendenta l do ctrine sre specting the im mo rta l ity and impa ssibil ity ofthe soul , which , if theyproved his point , would equa lly prove the most unjust war tha t eve r waswaged to be innocent .

” I

When we test the truth of Krishna’s teaching by applying itto the affairs of ordinary life , it s unsoundness is at once shown .

3. THE T RUTHO F PO L YTHEI SMACKNOWLEDGED .

Po lytheism i s a belief in the existence of m any gods . It isO pposed to m ono theism

,a belief in only one God .At a very early period the undivided Aryans , the ancestors

of the Romans , Greeks , English , German , Persians , andHindus ,worshipped the same God , under the name ofHeaven-Father .Max Muller says

There is a monotheism which precedes the polytheism oftheVeda ,

and even in the invo ca tion oftheir innumerabl e gods , the remembranc e ofa G od , one and infini t e , breaks through the m i st ofan idola t rous phra seology ,like the blue sky tha t is hidden by pa ss i ng clouds .

As time rolled on, the number of gods was increased . SomeHindus , unacquainted with the Vedas , think that they containa pure monotheism . Such is not the case . T he religion of theVedas is polytheistic . T he gods are usually spoken of as thrl ce aeleven

,with their wives

,as the following quotations will show :

In the third Mandala of the Rig-Veda ,Hymn 6 , verse 10,Agni i s thus addressed :

OnKr ishna and the B hagava d Gz'

td . p. 2 3.

EXAM INAT ION . 59

Bring, with their wives , the gods , the three -and-thirty , a ft er thy godlike na ture , and be joyful .”

T he following invitation is given to the Asvins“Come ONa sa tya s , with the thrice eleven gods ; come , 0 yeAsvins ,

to the drinking ofthe mea th .

" I . 34. 1 1 .Ahymn to theVisvedeva s concludes thusO ye eleven gods who se home is heaven, O ye eleven who m ake e a rth

your dwelling .

Ye who with m ight , e leven, live in wat ers , a ccept this sa crifi ce , O gods ,with plea sure .” I . 139 . 1 1 .

T he popular saying at present is that the divinities number 33crores .It will be seen that the gods are reduced in number from 33

crores to 33 with their wives . InBook iv . 9 . 9 . the gods are ment ioned as being much more numerous T hree hundred

,three

thousand,thirty and nine gods have worshipped Agni .

ManyHindu suppose that monotheism is taught in the wellknown formula from the Chhandogya Upanishad , ekam evddo i tiyam ,

One only without a second . T his is a mistake . T he realmeaning is

,not that there is only one God

,but that there i s no

second anything—a totally different doctrine .

It will now be shown that polytheism i s taught in theB hagavad Gita .

Nourish the gods by this , and le t the gods nourish you. T hus nourishing ea ch o ther , ye sha ll obta in supreme happine ss .

” III . 1 1 .

“ The gods nourished by sa crifice will grant you the enjoyment ofyourwishe s .He who enjoye th wha t ha th been giv en t o him by them

, and ofi'

erethno t a po rtion into them , is even a s a thief .” III . 1 2 .

Tho se who desirefor success t o their works in this l i fe,worship the

gods . F or in this l ife success from wo rks speedily cometh to pa ss .

”IV. 1 2 .

Tho se who sa crifice t o the gods , go to the gods . Those who wo rshipm e , com e t o me .

” VI I . 2 3.

Tho se who know the three (Veda s) , who drink ofthe soma -jui ce , beingpurified oft heir offences , offer sa crific e s , and petitionfor hea ven.

Thes eobta in the ho ly world ofIndra , in which they fea st upon the divine food ofthe gods .When they ha ve pa rt aken oftha t sp a cious hea venfor a while

, inpropo rtion to their virtues , they s ink a ga in into this morta l world , a s soona s their stock ofmerit is exhau sted . In this manner tho s e who , longingforthe a ccompl ishment oftheir wishes , fo llow the r el igion po inted out by thethre e (Veda s) , obta in a transi ent rewa rd .

”IX . 2 0 , 2 1 .

Tho s e who make vows t o the gods go t o the gods tho se who make vowsto the Pitris go to the pitris ; tho s e who wo rship the B hfita s go t o theB hut a s and tho se l ikewi se who worship me , go t o me . IX . 2 5.

B huta s are malignant demons , supposed to dwell in burninggrounds .» T hus , besides polytheism , demonolatry is acknowledged ,and

,according to the Gita , secures i t s reward .

T he gods and goddesses have been so multiplied that they arenow said to amount to 33 crores . Not content even with these

,Hindus have accepted Muhammadan F irs .


It is alleged that all the gods are the same,though worshipped

under difierent names .T ake the three principal gods

,Brahma

,Vishnu

,and Siva

their residences , wives , and children are all difierent . Brahma i ssaid to live in Satya-loka

,his wife is Savitri Vishnu lives in Vai

kuntha his wi fe i s Lakshmi Siva lives in Kailasa,his wife i s said

to be Pa rvati . Different dispositions and actions are a scrib ed to thesegods . Several times they are sa id to have fought with each other .

If the 33 crores of theHindu gods are all the same,i t may a s

well be said that the 2 8 crores of people in India,with different

houses , wives , children , occupations , are all one . If the gods areone , why are they reckoned as amounting to 33 crores

T his is only an excuse for the folly of polytheism put forwardby those who are somewhat more intelligent than the masses .Rammohun Roy says : T heHindus firm ly believe in the real existence of innumerable gods and goddesses who possess , in their owndepartments full and independent powers

,and to propitiate them

,

and not the true God,are temples erected and ceremonies performed .

T heHindus themselves call their religions by the name of theparticular deity they worship , as S iva B ha kti ,Vishnu B ha kti , &c .

T he vast majority would be indignant a t the supposition that theirown religion and the detested heresy of their opponents , are , afterall

,the same .

Monotheism is now accepted by all enlightened nations ofthe world

,and educatedHindus are gradually adopting the same

belief . T he gods of theHindu Pantheon have no existence theyare mere nam es

,not rea li ties . A belief in them shows that the

B hagavad Gita was not inspired by the God of truth .

4 . PANTHEISM TAUGHT .

Pantheism,frompan,

all,theos

,God

,i s the doctrine that God

is all that exi st s . Perhaps no dogma is held more firmly by theHindus . It pervades all,even the most unintelligent . T he

acknowledgment is universally made that God is one , while at thesame time the countless divinities of theHindu Pantheon areworshipped .

It i s admitted that pantheism is more clearly taught in theUpanishads

, a s in the following two quotations from the ChhandogyaUpanishad

Ekam evddvitz’ya m , One without a second . vii . 2 . 1 .

S a rva m Ka lvidam B r a hm a ,All this (im iverse ) is Brahma . iii .

But it i s also found in the B hagavad Gita . In Lecture VII .

Krishna saysEa rth , wa t er , fire , ether , the hea rt (m a ma s) and a lso the mind

and ego ism (a hankdm ) these (form) the eightfold division ofmy ma teria lnature (Pra kri ti) 4.

EXAMINATION . 61

This is the lower (na ture) b ut know now my other higher nature , theliving principle by which the universe is susta ined . 5.

Know tha t a ll things ha ve thes e a s their source . I am the producerand the dest royer ofthe who l e universe . 6 .

Know tha t I am the et erna l s eed ofa ll things tha t exist .

Lecture X . contains a long descript ion of what Krishna is :I am the beginning , the middle , and a lso the end ofa ll beings . 2 0.

I am Indra among the gods , 2 2 . I am Vitt e sa (the lord ofwea lth)among Yak sha s and Raksha sa s . 2 3. Among Naga snakes I am Ananta . 2 9 .

There is nothing movable or immovable which can exist without me .” 39 .

Bishop Caldwell has the following remarks on the doctrineconcerning God in the B hagavad Gita

Ac co rding t o the G ita, G od is the soul ofthe world it s ma t eria l causea s well a s it s effi cient caus e . The world is his body , framed by him sel f out ofhimsel f . Acons equence ofthi s do ctrine , a cons equence which is distinctlyt aught a ga in and a ga in,

is tha t G od is a ll things , a s conta ining a ll things .

Every thing tha t exists is a po rtion ofG od , and every a ction tha t is performed is an a ction ofG od . The do ctrine knows no limita tions , and is incapableofbeing exa ggera ted . The ba sest anima ls tha t creep on the fa ce ofthe ea rthha ve not merely been crea t ed by G odfor some good purpo se , but a re div ineina smuch a s they are po rtions ofG od’s ma teria l fo rm ; and the mo st wi ckeda ct ions which m en,

va inly fancying thems elves free a gents , a re ever t emptedto perform , a re not only perm i tt ed by G od , b ut a re a ctua lly perpetra t ed byhim

,ina smuch a s they a re perfo rmed by his power and will , wo rking out

their ends through the human constitution, which is a pa rt ofhimsel f .“ This do ct rine differs , it is true , from theAdwa it a do ctrine , to which

a lone the name ofVedantism is popul a rly given, tha t the Supreme Spirit a lonerea lly exist s and tha t the wo rld is unr ea l ; but it m ay be rega rded a s que st iona b le whether the unrea l ity ofphenomena be not pre ferabl e t o the do ct rinetha t their r ea l ity consist in their inclusion in G od a s pa rts ofhis t ot a lity .

”

Pantheism strikes at the root of all religious feeling. T he

essence of religion i s to love , honour , and obey God , to pray toHim ,to worshipHim . If I am God

,why should I worship myself ‘2

T he following remarks on this subj ect are from ProfessorFlint

The myst ica l piety ofIndia , when st rictlypantheisti c , knows nothing ofthe gra titude for Divine mercy and the trust in Divine righteousness whichcha ra cterise evangeli ca l piety . Instead oflove and communion in love , it canonly commend t o us the contempla t ion ofan obj ect which is incom prehens ible , devo id ofa ll a ffections , and indifferent t o a ll a ctions .When feel ingslike love , gra titude , and trust a re expressed in the hymns and prayers ofHindu wo rship; it is in consequeuce ofa V irtua l denia l ofthe principles ofpantheism , it i s becau se the mind ha s consent ed t o rega rd a s r ea l wha t it hadpreviously pronounced illuso ry , and t o personify wha t it had decla red to be impersona l .Hinduism holds it t o be a fundamenta l truth tha t the ab solute B eingcan ha ve no persona l a ttribute s , and yet it ha s not only t o a llow but t o en

coura ge it s a dherents t o invest tha t B eing with these a ttribut es , in o rder tha tby thus tempo ra rily deluding thems elves they m ay evoke in their he a rt s a t

lea s t a feeble and transi ent glow ofdevo tion. I t ha s even been fo rced , by it sinability t o el icit and susta in a rel igious life by wha t is strictly pantheist ic init s do ctrine , t o cra ve the help ofpolytheism , and t o t rea t the foul est o rgiesand cruellest rites ofidolatry a s a cts ofrea sonable worship pa id indirectly to

62 THE BHAGAVAD G ITA.the sole and suprem e B eing. I t finds polyt he ism to b e the indispensablesupplement ofit s pantheism . It is the persona l gods ofHindu po lytheism ,

and not the impersona l principle ofHindu pantheism , tha t theHindu peopleworhip.No people can wo r ship wha t they believ e t o be entirely impersonal .Even in the so -ca lled religions ofna ture the de ifi ed na tura l powers a re a lwayspersonified . It is only a s persons tha t they are offered praye rs and sa crifice s .

" l

T he pernicious effects of pantheism on Indian polytheism arethus shown by Professor Flint

I ha ve sa id tha t the ability ofpantheism to a lly itselfwith po lythe isma ccounts for it s preva lence in certa in lands ; but I mus t add tha t , a lthough apower , this a bil ity is not a merit . It is a powerfor evil—power which sus

t a ins superst ition, corrupts the syst em which po ssesses it , deludes and

degrades the human mind and hea rt , and a rrests so cia l progress . Educa tedHindus a re o ften found t o represent it a s an excellence ofBra hminism , tha tit no t only tolera t es but embra ces and inco rpo ra tes the lower pha se s ofreligion. They contend tha t it thereby e leva tes and purifi e s polytheism , and

helps the mind ofm en t o pa ss from the lowest s ta ge ofrel igious development.gradua lly up to the highest . The O pinion m ay s eem plausible , b ut neitherr ea sonno r experience confirm s it . Pantheism can give suppo rt to polyt heismand receive suppo rt from it , b ut only a t the co st ofsa crific ing a ll it s c la imst o be a ra tiona l system ,

and oflo s ing such mo ra l virtue a s it po ssesses . I fit lo ok upon the popula r deit i es a s mere fi ct ions ofthe popula r mind , it sa s so cia t ion with polytheism can only mean a cons cious a ll iance with fa lsehood , the del ibera te propa ga tion ofl ies , a pers istent ca reer ofhypo crisyIndia a lone is surely sufficient proo f tha t the union ofpantheism withpo lytheism do es not co rrect but stimula te the extra va gances ofthe la tter .Pantheism , instead ofeleva ting and pur ifyingHindu po lytheism , ha s con

t ributed t o increa se the number , the absurdity , and the foulness ofit ssuperstit ions .

” 2

5. KRI SHNA’s I NCARNATION S .

When Krishna said to Arjuna that he had taught the doctrineofYoga toViva sva t , the sun , Arjuna objected that the birth ofKrishna was later than that ofViva svat . T o this the “ Deity ”

repliedI ha ve pa ssed through many births . As often a s there i s a decline of

dha/rm a and an exa lta tion ofa dha rm a ,then I produce mysel f , I am born from

age t o age ,for the preserva tion ofthe good ,for the destruction ofthe wicked ,

and the re -establ ishment ofdha rm a .

”

(iv . 5His best known incarnation i s that of Krishna , fully describedin the Vishnu and Bhagavata Puranas . What was his charac terAs a child

,he i s represented as m i schievous and disobedient .

When he grew up,he sported with the Gopis , and was guilty of

adultery.He i s usually as sociated with Radha , the wife of Ayanagosha . When the two were surprised by the husband , Kri shnaassumed the form of Kali

,and Radha seemed , as of worshipping her .He i s said to have had 8 queens and wives . T he last act of

his l ife was to go to Prabhasa with hi s queens , wives and1Antitheis tz’c T heor i es , pp. 338 , 389 .

2 I bid .. pp. 390 , 391 .


64 THE BHAGAVAD G IT A .

6 . CREAT ION .

In different parts of the Gita,Krishna claims to be the Creator :

“ I am the producer and destroyer ofthe whole universe . (V11 .All this univers e ha s been spread out by me by m y unmanifest edma t eria l na ture (Pr a kri ti)

”

(ix .j

“ The seven grea t R ishis , the fourAncients , and the Manus , pa rtakingofmy na ture , were bo rn from my mind . From them a re descended a ll theinh abitants ofthe ea rth .

”(x.

I am the cr ea tor ofa ll things , and a ll things pro ceed from me .(x. All the end ofa ka lpa , a ll things ent er my ma teria l na ture ; a t thebeginning ofa ka lp a , I s end them fo rth a ga in. Suppo rt ed by my ma teria lna ture , I send forth a ga in and a ga in a ll this col lect ion ofbeings withouttheir

"

ownwill , by the power ofPra kr i ti .” (ix . 7 ,

T he remarks of Bishop Caldwell on Pantheism (see page 61 )refute the above .

According toHindui sm , there i s no creation in the strict senseof the word . T his i s the result of that fixed dogma of aHindu philoSopher’s belief—na o a s tuno va s tusiddhih, nothing can be producedout of nothing .

T he Rev. Nehemiah Goreh thus states the case :“ B y the wo rd , Crea tor , Christians a s well a s theists mean one who

gave being t o things which had no being before , or a ccording t o the

phra se used in Chris tian Theology , crea ted things out ofnothing . In

thi s sense no sect ofreligion or school ofphilo sophy among theHindusbel iev es G od t o ha ve crea ted anything .

“And here I wish t o say tha t such ofour countrymen a s ha ve beeneduca t ed in Engl ish s chools and colleges , and a re not familia r with thet rue t enets ofHinduism a re apt to be misled by ccrt a in words and

phra ses us ed in the rel igious book s ofour country . They are apt to

think t ha t tho se wo rds and phra ses were used by the authors oftho s ebooks and a re understo od by O rthodoxHindus , in the same s ense whichthey them selv es a tta ch t o them , ha ving a cquir ed mo re enl ightened no tionsofr eligious truths by coming in conta ct with Christianity , and then t o

think tha t tho s e very no tions a re t aught in tho se books . F or instance it issta ted in tho se books tha t G od is S a frfva -ka r ici , tha t is , maker ofa ll . Ye t itwould be a grea t mistake t o think tha t they tea ch tha t G od is the Crea tor ofa ll things . It is a fixed principl e with the t ea chers ofa ll the schools ofphilosophy in our country (and remember tha t with theHindus philo sophyis religion and religion is philo sophy) tha t every Kri/rya , tha t is , effect, mustha ve a S am avdyi or Updddna Karana , tha t is , a cause out ofwhich an effectis produc ed or fo rmed , such a s clay is t o an ea rthen pot . It m ay be transla ted by the Engl ish wo rd ‘ ma teria l cause’ in some ca ses , though not in a ll .

Therefore the wo rld could not be crea ted out ofnothing . According to theHindus’b el i ef the wo rld ha s an Updddna Koiroma , or a ma teria l cause and tha tma t eria l cause is uncrea ted , sel f—existing

,and eterna l l ike G odHimsel f.According t o the Nyaya school , the pa ram dnus , or a toms ofea rth , wa ter , fi re ,

and a ir , which a re infinit e in number , a re the ma teria l cause ofthe Visible andtangibl e pa rts ofthis universe , and a re them selves s el f-existent and eterna l .Mo reover ,Akdsa ,

time, spa ce , souls , no t only ofm en

, b ut a l so ofgods , anima ls ,and plants , and m ana s , the interna l o rgans which together with souls a re infinit e

innum ber, a ll uncreated, self-existent , and et erna l . Very little inde ed have

EXAMINATIO N . 65

they leftfor G od to do .He only frames with these sel f-existent substanc es ,the wo rld . Acco rding t o the Sankhya system , pm kr iti is th e ma teria l causeofthe univers e , and it is ofcour s e s el f—exis tent and eterna l .

“ Even the fa ls e god ofthe Vedantists , the maker ofthe fa l se wo rld , isonly a framer ofit like the G od ofthe Nyaya , and no t a Cr ea tor ,Maya, beingthe Updddna Kdm na , or ma teria l cause ofit . From this Maya, though fa lseyet eterna l , the who le univers e is evolved , a s a cco rding t o the Sankhya i t isevolved from their eterna l

It has been stated that a fundamental error ofHinduism is tojudge by our own standard . A carpenter cannot work withoutmaterials ; in like manner it i s supposed that God must have formeda ll things from eternally existing matter . T he fallacy of this i sthus shown by the late Rev. Dr . K .M. Banerj ea :

Tha t no m an can wo rk without ma teria ls is deni ed by none , s implybecause m an is no t omnipo tent , and ha s no t crea tive power , B ut whenone looks a t an exquisite production ofa rt , he is so lo st in a dmira tion a t

the skill ofthe a rtist , tha t he a lmo st fo rgets the mino r question ofthema teria l . And yet so banefully ha s the theo ry ofma teria l causa li ty workedamong us tha t the menta l energy ofour philo sophers ha s found mo sta ctive exerciseNO T in the ewe la m a tion,How wonderful is the a rrangement ofthe univers e ! B UT in the interroga tion, O i wha t pre -existingsubstance is a ll this ma de ?Nay they ha ve been so lo st in tha t question,

a s t o fo rget tha t a Crea to r ofinfinit e power and perfection needs no t ,like weak and imperfect m an, t o stop for ma teria l s , b ut c an make ma teria lsby the m ere fia t ofHis will . If the na tura l instincts ofthe human soul

lead us t o beli eve in the existence ofan a ll -powerful and perfect B eing ,i f the irres istibl e a rguments oftheVedanta its el f drive us t o the conclus ion tha t the univers e wa s crea ted by a G od , infinit e in wisdom and cont rivance ; then there can be no po ss ible necessityfor specula ting on the m a ter ia l

ofthe wo rld : then the mo st philo sophica l course is t o consider the obj ecto rigina lly crea ted by such a G od a s a t once the m a t ter a ndform ofthe wo rld .

T o a ssume the eternity ofsome gro ss ma teria l , existing side by s ide with an

intelligent and a ll -perfect G od,is no t only unnecessa ry (and therefo re

unphilo sophica l ,) ina smuch a s it a ssumes two principles , where one is amplysufficient t o a ccount for a ll we se e ; b ut it is incons istent with the idea ofperfection which we must a ttribut e t o the Deity . I fHe had some ma teria lt o work upon, previously existing independent ofHim , then there wa sno thing pecul ia r inHis a gency ; then it wa s ofthe same species a s tha t ofahuman a rchitect ; thenHe wa s our crea to r in no higher s ense than tha t inwhich a po tter is th e maker ofa ja r . TheVedantist , on the o ther hand ,pla ces him sel f in a fa lse po s ition, by s eeking in a spiritua l ess ence , the substanceofsuch a wo rld , cons isting ofpur e and impur e , intelligent and unint elligent ,ra t iona l and ir ra t iona l , anima ted and inanim a ted cr ea tur es .

”

Y e do err, not knowing the power of God , applies toHindusas well as those to whom the words were addressed by the GreatT eacher .

Whether i s it more rational to suppose the eternal existence ofone Being

,infinite in power and wisdom , or to imagine that in

numerable unintelligent atoms and spirits existed from all eternity?Besides the latter , an eternal , intelligent Arranger i s also required .

T heism and Chris tiani ty, Pa rt I . pp. 5-7 .


7 . THE THREE G uNAs PRO CEED F ROM KRI SHNA .

T he three Gunas are S a t ir e,goodness ,

’Raja s , passion ,

’

and Tam a s,darkness . ’ In Lecture VII . Krishna says

“ Know a lso tha t the na tures which a re o i. the qua li ty ofgo odness , and

those which a re ofthe qua l ity ofpa ss ion and ofda rkness , are indeed a ll fromme ; I am not in them , b ut they are inme .” 1 2 .

In Lecture III . Arjuna asks ,B y wha t is m an constra ined t o commit offencesHe s eemeth , a s if con

trary to his wishes , t o be impelled by some secret fo rce .” 36 .

Krishna repliesI t is des ire , it is wra th , born from the qua lity ofpa ssion ; it is insat iable ,full ofsin. This is ourfo e in this world .

”37 .

Passion and darknes s proce ed from God a s well as goodnes s .A man is

,as it were , by force compelled to commit sin .Henceman

is not a free agent . We blame the thief and murderer , and holdthem responsible for their actions , but if the B hagavad Gita i s true ,we should blame no man , for he i s compelled by Krishna to do this .Indeed

,we ought to praise the grea test criminal , for he is onlyfulfilling the will of God . Wha t a blasphemous doctrine i s this

T he Christian Scriptures , on the other hand declare thatGod i s light ; and inHim i s no darkness at a ll . God is spotlessly pure

,and no evil desire can arise inHim or fromHim .

8 . KRI SHNA ALIKE T O ALL ,WITHI T S CONTRADICTION .

In Book IX . the Deity saysI am a like t o a ll beings t o m e none is ha teful , none dea r .” 2 9 .

On the other hand demoniac people are thus threatened:These m en ha t ing (me) , cruel , the V ilest ofmankind, impure , I ca st down

perpetua lly into the wombs ofa sur a s . xvi . 19 .Ha ving ent ered demonia c wombs , deluded in every birth , theygo downto the V ilest st a te without ever coming to me . xvi. 2 0.Mr . T elang says in his Introduction : T hese persons arescarcely characterised with accuracy as neither hateful nor dearto Kri shna . p . 1 2 .

O the r Cont ra dict ions oft he B ha gava d G it a .-T he following

,

in addition to the foregoing , are mentioned byMr . T elang

In Book xn. 1 2 , Concent ra tion (fixing the mind with effo rt on the obj ectofcontempla tion) is es teemed higher than knowledge .’ In Rook vii . 16 -18 ,four classes ofgood m en are mentioned . It is sa id , All these are noble . B ut

the m an po ssessed ofknowledge is deemed by me t o be my own s elf .’Take stil l another inst ance . At G ita, Ch apter v. 15, it is sa id the Lord

receives the sin or m erit ofnone .

’Yet a t Chapte rv. 2 9 , and again a t Chapter

EXAMINATION. 67

x. 2 4, Krishna ca lls himsel f ‘ the Lord and enjoyer’ ofa ll sa crifices and

penances .How, it m ay well be a sked , can the Supreme B eing enjoy’tha twhich he do es no t even receive 1

T heHindu mind accepts the most contradictory statements .MaxMii ller says

The ea rlyHindu did not hnd any difficulty in reconciling the m ostdifferent and sometimes contradi cto ry O pinions in their s ea rch a fter t ruthand a mo st extra ordina ry medley ofo ra cula r sayings might be collected fromthe Upanishads , even from tho s e which a re genu ine and compa ra t iv elyancient , a ll tending t o elucida te the da rkes t po ints ofphilo sophy and religion,the crea tion ofthe wo rld , the na ture ofG od , the rela tion ofm an t o G od, ands imila r subj ects . Tha t one sta tement should be contradict ed by anotherseems never t o ha ve been felt a s any serious difficulty.

2

Followers of the Dwa it a ,Adwa it a , andVisishtadwaita all claimthe Gita in support of their respective systems .

9 . THE SOUL .

Before noticing wha t'

the Gita says about the soul , someHinduideas about the body may be mentioned .

T he Katha Upanishad contains the following“ 16 . There a re a hundred and one a rt erie s ofthe hea rt : one ofthem

(Sushum na ,) pro ceeds t o the head . B y this (a t the time ofdea th) r is ingupwa rds (by the door ofA’ditya ) a person ga ins immorta li ty , or the other(a rteries) a re ofva rious cour ses .

A similar statement i s made in the Chhandogya UpanishadThere a re a hundred and one a rt eries issuing from the hea rt ; one of

them penetra tes the crown ofthe head . The m an who depa rt s this lifethrough tha t a rtery , secures immort a l ity .

~ The rest ofthe a rteries lead t ova rious transit ions , —they lead t o va r ious t ransitions . VIII . 6 , 6 .

T he Pra sna Upanishad gives-

the following additional detai l sF or the (ether ofthe ) hea rt is verily tha t soul . There (a rise) the

hundred and one (principa l) a rteries ; ea ch ofthem is a hundred t imesd ivided ; a re the branches ofevery branch a rt ery ; within them mo ve sthe circul a ting a ir . I I I . 6 .

T he whole number of arteries i s thereforeT he slightest examination of the heart shows that all this i s

purely imaginary . T here are just two branches of a large arteryfrom the heart , containing impure blood , leading to the lungs , andone great artery , which , afterwards , subdivided , conveys pureblood

,to the who le body . In like manner , there are two great

veins carrying impure blood to the heart from the whole body,and

four veins, conta inm g pure blood , leading from the lungs to the

heart .

1 Introduction to the B hagavad (1177 , pp. 1 1 , 1 2 .

2 Ancient Sanskrit Litera ture , pp. 32 0, 32 1 .


T he Pr a sna Upanishad says that within the arteries movesthe circulating air . ” 147 737 7733 mean air-pipes . T hey were thoughtto contain only air , because a fter death they are empty . When aperson is a live , blood flows through them . T his i s prove d by thefact that if one of them is cut

,blood gushe s out . When a pe rson

di es , the heart loses it s power to send out blood , and the arteries arefound empty .

T he foregoing i s an example of a radical defect of theHindumind —to specu la te instead of inves tiga ting. It i s the same withother depar tments of science T heHindu geographer does nottravel ; he simply sits in his house , and dreams of a va st centralmountain and circular oceans of curds

,ghi

,wine

,&c .Hindu

astronomy is equa lly fanciful .In like manner theHindus speculated about the soul . T he

leading ideas will now be noticed .

( l ) . T he S oul Et e rna l .

T he Gita says that the Self or Soul i s eternalI t is no t born nor do es it ever di e ; nor ha ving exist ed before do es it

exist no mo re . (II .

It is everla sting , a ll -pervading , s table , immovabl e , and eterna l . (II .An eterna l po rtion ofme having become an indi vidua l soul in the wo rldofmorta ls , draws t o itsel f the five senses , with the 777 7777 773 a s the sixth , pla cedin Prak riti . (XV.

According toHinduism , soul s may pass into gods , demons ,beasts

,birds

,reptiles , fishe s , insects , into plants , and even into in

animate objects . Who can estimate the number of these eternalsvayam bhu essences ! I s i t not perfectly unphilosophical

,becau se

absolutely unnecessary and egregiously extravagant,to a ssume such

an indefinite number of eternal es sences , when one SupremeEssence is sufficient to account for all things , Vi sible or invisible ,material or spiritualIf our souls are eternal and self-existent , we are a sort of

miniature gods . Our relation to God is changed . It i s only thatof king and subj ects .His right over us is only that of might . Itis only becauseHe i s mightier than we and ofHis possessingpower to b enefi t and to harm us

,that we should be anxious to pay

homage toHim . T here is not the love which a child shouldcheri sh towards a father . T rue religion is thus destroyed .

T he S oulAl l = pe rva d ing.Hindu speculations about the size of the soul differ widely .

In the Upanishads it i s generally said to be of the size of a thumb ,and to dwell in the heart . T hus the Katha Upanishad says

The soul , whi ch , in the mea sur e ofa thumb , dwell s in the m iddle ofthebody (in the ether ofthe (IV.

EXAMINATION. 69

It i s elsewhere said to be both infinite ly small and infinitelygrea t T he Sve taswa t ara Upanisha d says

The embodied soul is t o be thought l ike the hundredth pa rt ofthepo int ofa ha ir , div ided into a hundred pa rts ; he is cons idered t o beinfinit e . (V.

T he Chhandogya Upanishad saysI s the soul within me ; it is l ighter than a co rn, or a ba rley , or a

m ust a i d , 0 1 a cana ry seed , 0 1 the substanc e within it . Such a soul i s withinme

,a s is grea ter than this ea rth , and grea ter than the sky, and gi e a t er than

the hea ven, and gi e a t e i than a l l thes e regions [put t oge the 1 ] . I II . 14, 3 .

T he Gita agrees with theVa ise shak a school . Krishna saysthat the soul is a ll-pervading . (II .

T he Rev. Nehemiah Goreh well rema rks , T hose who can b elieve that the soul of a m usquito fi lls heaven and earth . .can

believe anything

T he S oul do e s no t wo rk , and is no t s t a ine d .

Kr i shna saysHe who se mind is deluded by

,

(s el f—consciousness) thi nkshimsel f the do er ofa ctions which , in ev ery way, a re done by the qua l ities ofPra k ri ti . (iii .He who sees tha t works a re wrought in every ca se by Pr a kr iti , and

tha t therefo re the soul is not the do er , sees indeed .

”

(xiii .This eterna l supreme Spirit , without beginning , without qua l it i es , do es

not a ct and is no t sta ined e ven when it is embodied .As the a ll -pervading Akasha is no t everywhere so il ed through it s

subtlety , so the soul sta tioned in the body is no t so iled .

”

(xiii . 31 ,

Dr . Robson quotes another illustration often used“ I once a sked a pundit t o sta te logically his a rgum ent tha t man

’s spirit

wa s s inles s , which he did a s fo l lowsMan

’s spirit is s inless ,

B ecause it is distinct from the sin which m an commitsF or a ll things a re di stinct fr om tha t which they conta in,

a s the

wa ter ofa muddy stream is distinct from the m ud which itconta ins ;

B ut so is the Spirit ofm an distinct from the sin which it m ay besa id t o conta in

Therefo re it is sinless .

This wa s ‘

an a ttempt t o put into a logica l form the sto ck a rgument usedby theHindus—Spirit is freefrom sin a s wa ter is distinct from a ll the dirtwhich m ay be mingl ed with

T he above is an example of another defect inHindu reasoning-to accept 7 ll778 t7~7777077for 777 977777 6 77 7. One illustration may appearto prove one thing,

but another may be adduced leading to an

opposi te conclusion . It 1s sometimes said As there 1s only onesun in the sky,

so there is only one God . T his is a great truth ,*Hinduism , pp. 32 4,

70 THE BHAGA’V‘AD G I’I ‘A.

but the reasoning i s no better than the following,As there are

innumerable stars in the sky,so the number of gods is countless .

T he foregoing illustrations about the soul being sinless,are

equally inconclusive .Hindu speculations about the soul and2 77 77177 777 a re a s baseless a s those about the hea rt .It is assumed tha t the soul is a part of the Supreme Spirit

,and .

l ike him,i s without qualities , doe s no t act , and i s not bound by

actions . O i thi s there i s no proof . It ha s been shown that it isfar more probable that the soul wa s crea ted by God .

It is t rue that the soul is united with the body, but the soul i s

the ruler it can control the body and i s responsible for it s actions .

It i s the soul that loves or hates , that entertains evil or good desires .It i s

,however

,possible for a man who gives way to evil passions

to become at last as it were their slave .

10 . T RAN SMIG RATION .

T ransmigration denotes the passing of the soul into anotherbody . T his universal belief among theHindus is taught in theGita. T hus Krishna says to ArjunaAs a m an, ha ving ca st offhis old ga 1m ent s t a keth o thers tha t a re new,

so the embodi ed (soul ) ca sting oflold bodi es , entereth o thers tha t a re new.

i i . 2 2 .

Both I and thou ha ve pa ssed through many bir ths . M ine a re knownto me but thou knowes t no t thine . iv . 5 .

“Am an who s e devo tions ha ve been broken offby dea th , having enjoyedfor unnumbered yea rs the rewa rds ofhis virtues in the regions above , a t

l eng th is bo rn a ga in in some holy and respectabl e family . O r else he is bo rnin the hous e ofsome l e a i ned yogi .” vi . 41 , 42 .

These m en, ha ting (me) , cruel , the Viles t ofmankind , impur e , I ca stdown perpetua lly into the womb s ofa sura s .Ha ving entered demonia cwombs , deluded in every birth , they go down t o the

zD

vile st sta t e withoutever com ing t o me .

” xvi . 1 9 , 2 0.

T he doctrine of transmigration seems,to theHindu

,to explain

the unequal distribution of happiness and misery in this world .

If an infant agonize,i t is supposed to arise from a great sin

committed in a former birth . On the other hand , if a wicked manpro

u

spers it i s thought to be plainly the reward of meritoriousacti ons m aHprewous state of existence .

T he universe 18,in Sanskrit

,sometimes called 8 77778 777 0

,denoting

motion . It is supposed to consist of innumerable souls and 1n

numerable bodies . T he bodi es are of all kinds,mineral

,vegetable ,

animal,human

,divine

,demoniac . Souls are supposed to b e con

st antly leaving their bodies , and seeking other bodies , some rising ,some falling, others stationary according to their Ka rm a .

T here 1s no doubt that the unequal di stribution of happinessin this world 1 s a problem which ha s exercised the minds of thinkingmen from the dawn of philosophy . O h investigation , however,



Transmigra tion,a blo t on it s fa ir nam e .Wha t then Do notHindus belie ve

in divine mercy ? Indeed they do ; and tha t in two way s , b ut bo th a re

entir ely irrespective o i , indeed they igno re , Transmigra tion. T he sta tement ,Iswa ra da y dlu ha i’ (G o d is merciful) is one which very fewHindus indeedwould no t subs cribe t o . Sofar ha ve fo reign i nfluence s permea ted the modernHindu mind , tha t v ery few indeed perceiv e , wh a t however is o b vious t o anyone who thinks , tha t the above sta tement is a fla t contradiction, so far a s itextends , ofthe Do ctrine ofDr .Hooper further shows tha t Man’

s own natural tendencyto me rcy ha s been thwarted and stunted by the doctrine oftransmigration

Let me giv e two famil ia r instances ofthis .Why are lepers , and tho sesubj ect t o s im il ar disea ses , so peculi a rly shunned and loa thed in India ?Why a re they commonly rega rded with an abho rrence which overcomes thepity

,which such obj e cts na tura lly stir up

‘

2 Phys ica l causes no doubt ccopera te , a s they do el sewhere b utHindus them selves expla in it by the bel ief

,

tha t such sufferer s a re in an unusua l degree sinners , 7.e . , a re suffering theju st consequences ofext ra o rdina rily heinous crimes . I s no t this a s mu ch a s

t o say , th a t a bel ief in Transmigra tion is answerable for _a ll the unkindnessshown t o l epers in this country , which is o ver and a bove tha t di splayed ino ther countri es ? Aga in, take the ca se ofymm g widows . Can there , in thewhol e ofhumani ty , be conceived a ca se deserving ofmo re pro found com

pa ssion and t ender pity than tha t ofa young woman commonl y is , who ha s

jus t lo st her hu sba nd And yet , in this country , a re not the widow’s so rrows

va stly a ggra va ted , a s a rul e , by the unk ind trea tment t o which she is subj ectB ut why doHindu s thu s quench their na tura l instincts ofpity ? Let anyHindu answer the qu estion himsel f. It is becaus e he beli ev e s th a t thewoman

’s s ins , in s ome previou s l ife , ha ve caus ed tha t their son or bro ther ha s

died . In o ther wo rds , the beli ef in Transmigra tion is dir ectly answerabl eforthe mi series ofthe 2 0 millions ofwidows in Indi a

,which a re over and above

wha t widows suffer among o thers . I know wel l tha t , in many ca ses , na tura linstinct preva il s , and widows a re well trea ted but this is no t because , b ut inspite , ofthe D o ctrine ofTransmigra tion.

”

Christianity , on the other hand , shows how DivineJustice andMercy are reconciled throughJe sus Christ .

4 . It s effe c ts a re pe rnic ious .—We bring most evil s upon our

selves by our own mi sconduct . T he chief sufferings of men arecaused by poverty and si ckness . Poverty is often occasioned byla ziness or want of thrift . One great rea son why the people ofIndia are poor is their extravagant expenditur e . on marriages .Most sickness i s caused by bad water

,filth

,and unwholesome food .

When people believe that their misfortunes arise from sins in aformer birth

,they rest contented and make no efforts to remove

them. T he constant excuse for almost everything that ought no t

to be is,What can we do It i s a ll the fruit of former births .”

Even murderers comfort themselves with such an excuse .

It has also been shown above tha t the cruel trea tment oflepers and widows in India partly arises from the doctrine oftransmigra tion .

1 T ra nsm igm t ion,1 9 pp . 1 anna . Sold a t Tra ct Depots .

EXAMINATIO N . 3

T here are other obj ections to the doc t1 ine of transmigration .

1 . I 77eq777777t ie s ofh77pp 7 7 73 9 7 m e less than 78 supposed .

-T herea i e many poor men far happie r than the rich . T here 1s a proverb :T he fruit of auste rities , a kingdom ; the fruit of a k ingdom , hell .Gre at men are tempted to V1ce s from which the poor are free .We a lth and power a re , not unfrequently , a curse rather than ablessing .

2 . I t 717 a 777o tes 700 7 7777777ess .

— T his i s thus shown by Dr .Hooper .According to transmigration ,Virtue 1s 1 ewa rded by bodily hea lth , by numerous and hea lthy childr en,

by wea lth , lands , and comfo 1 t , by pomp and m agnifi cence , by rul e and

auth0 1 it \ ove 1 o thers , and so on— a ll 0 7777077 77 7 enj oyments ; and tha t sm 1s

siinil a i h 1 e con1pensed by externa l sufferings .Now, wha t 0 7777 the tendencyofthis belief b e , b ut w0 1 ldly mindedness ‘

2 If the 1 ewa rd ofgood conduct isbelieved to be plea sures which a re purely externa l , —ii Indra ’s sta tion is a t

the same time bel ieved to be the one ofcompl etest sensuous enj oyment , andthe rewa rd ofthe highest vir tue ,—must not such enjoyment b e cons ideredsuperio r t o virtue , a s the end is superio r t o the means

3 .We 07777 lookforwa rd a s we l l 778 -T his world i s astate of preparation for the next . A child at school is placedunder the di scipline of a tea cher to train him for the purposes oflife . Notwithstanding all the pa in and sorrow there 1 s m theworld

,people are too much attached to it . Much more would this

be the ca se if all went well with us Sickness,as it were

,says to

us , Arise , this i s not your rest .A holy man of old said , It i s good for me that I have been

afliict ed . Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I keptT hy word . Millions upon millions have had the same experience .

Good men who suffer afflict ion rightly, c ome out of it purified , like

gold which ha s been tried by fire . Many parents have been led bythe s ickness and death of their children to think of a world wherethere 1 s no more pa in or death

,and where they sha l l meet again

their loved ones , never more to be separated .

1 1 . MUKTI , THE G REATAIM0 17 THE BHAGAVAD GITA .

T he great inquiry of theHindu i s not , What is truth buthow to cut short the 84 lakhs of births through which it is supposed every one must pass ; how to se t the soul free from P7 77777 7t7.

T he Gita calls this world the seat of pain and death ; even thehappiness of heaven 1s only transient .

These gr ea t -souled m en,ha ving a t ta ined t o me , come not a ga i nto li fe ,

which is trans i ent , and the s ea t ofpa in they rea ch the highe s t perfection.

”

VIII . 15.

Tho se who know the three Veda s , who drink the soma -juice , b e ingpurifi ed from their offences , offer sa crifi c e s , and petitionfor hea ven. Thes eobta in the holy wo rld ofIndra , in which they fea st upon the divine food ofthe gods .When they ha ve pa rt aken oftha t spa cious hea venfor a while in

10


propo rtion to their vir tues , they s ink a ga in into this mortal world a s soon

a s their stock ofmerit is exhausted . IX . 2 0, 2 1 .How to get rid of the curse of existence and not to be bornagain

,i s the grand obj ect . T he Grita mentions the ways in which

it i s supposed this is to be attainedHe , 0 Arjuna , who trul y knoweth my divine bir th and wo rk , do th no tupon hi s qui tting his mo rta l fr ame enter into ano ther ,for he entereth intome IV. 9 .

T he Yogi, thus constantly devo ting hi s s el f to abstra ction,who s e

m ind is restra ined , a t t a ine th t o pea ce , the supreme 7777 0 7777 77 tha t is in me .”VI 15.

Supreme happi ness a t t ende th the m an who se hea rt is thu s a t pea ce ;who s e pa ss ions ar e thus subdued , who is one with B rahma , and fr ee fromsin.

”VI . 2 7 .

”He who ha th clo sed a ll the ga tes (o i the senses) , confined his hea rt( 177 7777 773) inwa rdly , pla ced the vita l brea th in the head , constant in devo tionr epea ting the syllabl e Om , s ignifying the eterna l B rahma

,thinking

me,he who thus departeth go eth when he quit t e th th e body , t o the highest

pla ce .

” VII I . 1 2 , 13 .When the s eer perceiveth no a gent except the 9 7777 073 , a nd k noweth wha tis above the 9 7777 773 , he entereth into my being .

”XIV. 19 .

Thus comprehending his identity with Brahma , ca lm in spirit , hegrieveth not , wishe th no t , being the same t o a ll beings , he a t t a ineth t o supremedevo tion in me . B y thi s devo tion he knoweth me truly who I am , and how

grea t I am . Then having known me truly , he entereth i nto my essence .”

(XVIII . 54 ,

Some other passages imply that absorption may also be attainedby bha kt7

,exclusive devotionHa ving come into this transient , unhappy wo rld , worship me . F ix

thy hear t (777 0777 773) on me ; become my devo tee , m y wo rshipper reverence me,

and thu s making me the supreme obj ect , thou wilt come t o me . (ix .He cometh unto me who se wo rks a re donefor m e, who esteemeth me

supreme , and who is my servant only who is fr ee fr om a tt a chment , and whol iveth amongst a ll m en without ha tred .

”

(xi .

In the first class of passages 777 7777 77 i s supposed t o be attainedmainly by the suppression of all desire , looking upon all alike , andreali sing one’s identity with Brahma . In the second class thesame obj ect i s supposed to be gained by bha ht7

,exclusive devotion

to Krishna .

T he doctrine of 777 777777 is largely based on the illustration , Justas rivers falling into the se a lose their names and forms , so wise men ,losing their names and forms , atta in the Pa r a tp am P 777 773h77 .

”

As already mentioned , withHindus illustration passes for argument . R ivers mixing with the sea is no proof that m enmay beab sorb ed into the Divine Being . Only substances of the same kindunite . But God is differentfrom any other being there is nonelikeHim .How, then , can any other be absorbed inHim ‘

2

Granting,however

,that absorption does take place , what does

it amount to Brahm a is said to exi st in a state of dreamless sleep ,

EXAMINATIO N . 75.

without anymore thought than a stone .Hindu absorption is practically the same as the Buddhist 7777 7 7777 77 or annihilation . Not tob e

, says Professor Wilson , i s the melancholy result of the religionand philosophy of theHindus .

T he Rev. Nehem iah Goreh thus contrasts hi s feelings as aChristian and aHindu with regard to his duty to God

Since Christianity ha s taught me tha t G od ga ve me my very being , Iha ve begun t o a cknowledge tha t my obliga tion ofworshipping, honour ingand lovingHim would no t cea se a s long a s I had my being . So our Scriptures a lso expressly tea ch us . The ho ly Psa lm ist says : ‘ Pra is e the Lo rd ,

O m y soul .While I l ive I will pra ise the Lo rd . I will s ing pra ises untomy G od whi le I have ( 7777/being.

’I , a s a Christian, ha ve been taught t o

bel iev e tha t to love and glo rify G od is the very end ofmy existence . In

this will consis t my eterna l joy and happiness .No t so wa s my fa ith whenI wa s aHindu . The sta te ofsa lva tion, a cco rding t o my belief a t tha t tim e ,wa s to be free from transmigra tion, and t o be sepa ra ted ,

no t only from theb ody , b ut even from the a nta hka ra na , Which is the o rgan ofa ll our thoughtsand consciousness , and t o rema in unconscious for ever . Indeed the t ea chingoftheVedanta , Which repre sent s '

the o rthodox V iew , and which I followed , is ,tha t souls , when sa ved , become Brahma itself , and ofcour se lo se theirindiv idua l consciousness . S o then, a cco rding t o the t ea ching ofthe Vedantaa s well a s a cco rding to a ll o ther ancient s choo ls ofreligion among theHindus , worship ofG od is only po ssibl e until one obta ins sa lva t ion.

” l

It i s true that some Vaishnavas look for a future consciousexistence with Vishnu

,but this is contrary to the teaching of theHindu Scriptures . Besides , there is no such being as Vishnu . Can

any intelligent man believe that the god described in the VishnuPurana really exists

1 2 . ENCOURAGEMENT O F YOGA EXERCI SE S .

As already stated , the poem is partly an attempt to reconcilethe Ka rm a -Mcirga and the J77 7i77 a -M0'77ya . T he need of action i sadmitted

,otherwise the human race would come to an end . On

the whole,however , the teaching is that action is far inferior to

the devotion of the mind (Y oga) . Chap . II . 49 .

Some explanation may first be given of the system .

T he Y oga , founded by Pa tanja li , i s often styled the T heisticsankhya . It agrees in it s general principles with the Sankhyaproper

,but claims greater orthodoxy by directly acknowledging

the existence of God .

Indian philosophy makes salvation dependent upon rightknowledge— that i s the knowledge of the essential distinctionbetween soul and non- soul . T his right knowledge is generallysupposed to be attainable only by the ascetic exercises prescribedin the Y oga Sastra .

T he word Y09 77 means union . T he great end of the Yoga is

1 Supposed and Rea l Doctr ines ofHindu ism , PP. 2 9 , 30. Price , Anna .


to obtain union with the Supreme Being . Pa tanja li define s Yogaas the suppression of the functions of the thinking principle .

T he following are the exercises to be employed1 . Y77 777 77

, restraint . 2 .Niyam a,religious O bservances . 8 .Asana

,postures . 4 . P7

'

7i777iyd777a ,regulation of the brea th . 5.

Pr a tycihdm , restraint of the senses . 6 . D77 a7 a 77 77,fixed attention.

7 . Dhyana ,contemplation . 8 . 8 77777 72 71777, profound medita tion.

All wandering thoughts are to b e ca lled ih ,and attention fiXed

on some one obj ect .Any obj ect will answer if it is thought of alone ;other thoughts must be suppressed . At last there i s profound m edit a t ionwi thout any obj ect .

Gre at importance is atta ched to 7737777 77,or postur es .At an early

period they were fixed a s 84,b ut of thi s number ten are specially

recommended . T he following directions are given regarding someof them :

The L otus Pos tura— T he right foot should be placed on thele ft thigh

,and the left foot on the right thigh the hands should

be crossed , and the two great toes should be firm ly held thereby ,the chin should be bent down to the chest and in this posture theeyes should be directed to the tip of the nose .

G om ukha 0 7' 00 70

’sMou th Pos t777'e .

—Put the right ankle on theleft side of the chest , and similarly the le ft ankle on the right side .

F owl P0 37777°e .

-Having establishe d the lotus posture , if thehand be passed between the thigh and the knee s , and placed onthe earth so as to lift the body aloft

,i t will produce the fowl sea t .

B ow P os tura —Hold the great toes with the hands and drawthem to the ears a s in drawing a bows tring .

T he regulation of the breath, p rafindydm a

,is likewi se of great

importance . T he usua l mode is a fter a ssum ing the postureprescribed

,to place the ring finger of the right hand on the le ft

nostri l,pressing it so a s to close it , and to expire with the right ,

then to press the right nostril with the thumb,and to inspire

through the left nostril,and then to close the two nostrils with the

ring finger and the thumb,and to stop all brea thing . T he order

i s reversed in the next operation,and in the third act the first

form isMarvellou s powers are attributed to the man ful ly initiated m

the Y oga . T he pa st and present are unveile d to his gaze .Hesee s things invi sible to oth ers .He hea rs the sounds tha t a re in

di stant worlds .He becomes stronger than the elephant , bolderthan the lion

,swifter than the wind .He mounts a t pleasure into

the air or dives into the depths of the earth and the ocean.Heacquires mastery over all things

, whether anima te or inanima te .

T he Gita acknowledge s the nee d of action, otherwi se the

* ! uoted byMr . R . C . Bo se from the transla tion ofthe Y oga Shastra byDr . Rajendralala Mi tra .Hindu Phi losophy, pp. 1 77 , 1 78 , 180.

EXAMINATIO N . 7

human race would come to an end . O u the whole , however , thetea ching is that work is far inferior to the devotion of themind .

”

(i i .In the following extracts , directions are given about Yoga ,

and its advantages are pointed out :

Some sa crifi ce the upwa rd brea th in the downwa rd , and the downwa rdbrea th in th e upwa rd , stopping up the channel s ofthe upwa rd and downwa rdbrea th , intent on the restra int ofbrea ths iv . 2 9 .

The 7777 777 7who exclude th (from his mind) externa l obj ects , (concentra ting)the visua l power between the brows and making the upwa rd and downwa rd life ~brea ths even, s ending bo th through the no strils , who re st ra ine th the s enses ,mind, and u nderstanding , intent on fina l emancipa tion, from whom des ire

,

fea r , and wra th ha ve depa rted , is i ndeedfor ever free from (birth and dea th )”

V. 2 6Let the Yogi constantly pra ctise devo tion,

fixed in a s ecluded spo t a lone ,with his mind and sel f subdued , without expecta tion and without belongings .

F ixing his s ea t firm ly in a clean spo t .r

ne ither high nor low, covered with a

clo th , a deerskin and ku sa gra ss . There fixing his hea rt on one obj ect,

r es tra i ni ng his thoughts , s enses , and a ctions , sea t ed on tha t s ea t,he should

pra ctise Yoga for the purifying ofhis soul .Ho lding his body , hea d and

neck even and unmoved , (rema ining) stea dy , looking a t the tip ofhis no se andnot looking a round , tranqu il in soul , fr ee from anxiety , and a dhering t o therules ofthe B rahm a charis , he should restra in his mind , and (concentra te)it on me , and sit down, enga ged in devo tion, medita ting and intent on me .

The Yogi , thus constantly devo ting his sel f t o a bst ra ction, who s e m ind is

re stra ined , a t t a ineth pea ce , the supremeN77'777'777o7 tha t is in me .

” V i . 10-15.

T he whole belief is a delusion . T he brain i s the organ of themind . T o enable it to act properly , i t must have a good supply ofpure blood . T he blood is purified by fresh a ir entering into thelungs b y breathing . From want of sufficient food and suppressionof the breath

,the blood of the Y ogi i s small in quantity and impure .

T he brain does not act properly .He m ay be in a dream y hypnoticcondition or almost unconscious . Barth

,a French writer

,a dis

tinguished Sanskrit scholar , says of the Y oga exercises Con

scient iously observed , they can only issue in folly and idiocy .

T he following rema rks are from Bishop Caldwell .He askswhat are the Vi sible results of the philosophy of the Gita Whathas it done for India, the land of its birthHa s it promoted popula r educa tion, civ iliza tion, and good government ‘

2Ha s it educa t ed the people in generous emo tions ‘

2Ha s it a bo lished ca st e oreven mitiga ted it s evils ?Ha s it obta ined forWidows the lib e rty '

ofrema rriage

‘

2Ha s it driven away dancing girls from the temples ‘2Ha s i t abo lishedpolygamy ?Ha s it repres sed V ic e and encour a ged virtue ?Wa s it thisphilo sophy which abolished fema le infanticide , the meria h sa crifice and theburning ofwidows I s it this which is co vering the country with a netwo rkofra ilwa ys and t el egraphs ‘

2 I s it this which ha s kindl ed amongst th e Na tiv einha bitants ofIndia the spirit ofimprovement and enterpris e which is

now appa rent ? Need I a sk the question ‘

2 All this time the philo sophy ofquietism ha s been sound a sl eep , or

‘ with it s eyes fixed on the po int ofit sno se ,’ a ccording t o the dir ections ofthe G ita,

it ha s been thinking itself outofit s wits . This philo sophy. ha s subst ant ia lly been the creed ofthe ma j ority


ofthe peopl efor upwa rds oftwo thousand yea rs and if it had emana t ed fromG od

, the pro o fs ofit s divine o rigin ought long ere this t o ha ve been appa rentb ut it ha s a ll this time been t oo much abso rbed in contempl a ting sel f bymeans ofsel f’ to ha ve had any time or thought l eft for endea vouring t o

improve the wo rld .Wha t could be expected ofthe philo sophy ofapa thy , buttha t it should lea ve things t o take their cour se ? T here is much rea l wo rknow being done in India in the way oftea ching truth , putting down evil , and

promo ting the publi c wel fa re b ut tha t wo rk is being done , no t byVedantistso r quietists ofany scho ol , but by Christians from Europe , whose highestphilo sophy is t o do go od , and by tho s e N a t ives ofIndia who ha ve beens timul a ted by the tea ching and exampl e ofEuropeans t o choo se a s imila rphilo sophy .

The rema rks ofLo rd Ma caul ay in his Essay on Lo rd Ba con on theSto i ca l philo sophy ofthe ancients a s contra st ed with the modern B a conianphil o sophy , whi ch is developed from and l ea vened by the pra ctica l t ea chingofthe C hr istian Scriptu r es , wil l ill us tra te the u nprofitabl eness oftheVedfmt icphilo sophy better than can be done by any wo rds ofmine . I commendthe s tudy oftha t brilliant Essa y t o the youthfulHindu . If Sanskrit wo rdsbe substitutedfor the G re ek techni ca l terms quo ted by Ma caul ay

,every wo rd

th a t h e says re specting the philo sophy ofZ eno m ay be s a id with equa l truthofthe philo sophy ofthe G ita.

”

Afew extracts are given below from Macaulay’s EssayThe chief peculia rity ofBa con’s philo sophy seems t o us to ha ve been

this , tha t it a imed a t thi ngs a ltogether different from those which his predece ssors had propo sed t o themselves .Wha t then wa s the end which B a con propo sed t o himsel f ? It wa s , t ouse his own emph a tic express ion,

‘ fru i t .’ It wa s the multiplying ofhuman

enjoyments and the mit iga t ing ofhuman sufferings . Tt wa s ‘ the reli ef ofman’s

e sta t e ” ’

Two words form the key ofthe Ba coniando ctrines , Utili t y and Progress .

The ancient philo sophy di sda ined t o be us eful , and wa s content t o be sta tiona ry. It dea lt la rgely in theo ries ofmo ra l perfection, which wer e so subl imetha t they never cou ld be mo re than theo ries ; in a ttempts t o solve insolubleenigma s ; in exhorta tions t o the a tta inment ofuna tta inabl e fr ame s ofm ind .

It coul d not condescend t o the hum bl e c ih oe ofministering t o the comfo rt ofhuman beings .

The ancient philo sophy wa s a treadmil l, not a pa th. It wa s made up ofr evolving questions , ofcontrovers ies which were a lways beginning a ga in. Itwa s a contrivancefor ha ving much exertion and no progress . It m ight indeedsha rpen and invigora te the bra ins oftho se who d evo ted themselves t o it ;b ut such disputes coul d add no thing t o the sto ck ofknowledge . There wa sno a ccumul a tion oftruth , no herita ge oftruth a cquired by the labour ofonegenera tion and bequea thed t o ano ther , to be aga in transmitted with la rgea dditions t o a thi rd .

The same sects were s til l b a t t lingr with the same unsa tisfa ctory argum ents , a bout the same interm inabl e questions . There had been pl enty ofploughing , ha rrowing , r eaping , thr eshing . B ut the ga rners cont a ined onlysmut and stubbl e .Wo rds and mere wo rds , and no thing b ut wo rds , had been a ll thefrui t ofa ll the to il ofa ll the mo st renown ed sa ges ofs ixty genera tions . Theancient philo sophers prom ised wha t wa s impra cticable they despised wha twa s pra cticable ; they fi ll ed the wo rld with long wo rds and long bea rds ; and

they left it a s wicked and ignorant a s they found it .”



A small volume has been published; entitled The 1777777777077ofS r ee K7

'73h7777, compiled by S . O .Muk opadhaya , M .A . T he Pre

face contains the following horrible doctrinT o our mind V irtue and V ic e being rela tive terms can never be appl ied

t o one who is rega rded a s the Supreme Being . The being who is equa l invirtue a s well a s in V ic e is t o u s a grander being than the extremely Virtuou sm an. One who s e mo ra l equ il ibrium rema ins inta ct in every a ction whichthe human mind is capable ofimagining is the grandest being in the univer se .The grea t Ko smic L aw c an never affect tha t being who a cts without 377779 77777or a ttra ction. T o tea ch this grea t l esson pra ctica lly , Kr ishna cam e t o thewo rld , and t o tea ch this grea t lesson 2 07 070770 77 779 , he trea tedVic e andVirtuea like . In every l ine ofthe B hagavad G ita is stamped this grea t l esson,

and theWho l e ofKrishna ’s 777 779 077777: life is an embodiment ofthis t ea ch

ing. Action committed without 77777 7 77 770 77 is neither V irtuous nor Vi cious ,and 3777 77 a ction is termed L 7lc7 in Sanskrit . Such a ction is the corner stone ofthe highest Raj-Y oga , a s is sta ted in Sloka Chapter IV. ofthe G ita. O i

course such a ction is not po ssible for one who is the unwill ing sla ve ofhispa st Ka rm a ; b ut this is na tura lfor one who is rega rded a s the very incarna tion ofthe Supreme B eing . Conceiv e a m an who is trying his utmo st t ofly from vice t o it s oppo s it e pol e , virtu e , ima gine a l so a being t o whom hea tand cold, Virtue and V ic e , a re the same ; and you will find tha t the la t teris 777fi 77 7te ly supe rior t o the fo rmer . The one is the infinit e , the o ther is the

0 0 0 0 0

finit e ; the one i s the ab so lute , the o ther is the rela tive . pp . 11 , 111 .

A little considera tion will show the fallacy of the abovereasoning . It destroys the eternal distinction between right andwrong

,Virtue and Vi ce . If a man murdered his wife would a

judge set him free because he alleged that it wa s done withoutat tachment

O i all false teaching that i s the worst ,‘

which,as in the pre

ceding extract,asserts that Virtue and Vice are the same that

“ the being who i s equal in Virtue as well a s in Vice i s to us agrander being than the extremely Virtuous man . Well may theprophet’s exclamation apply to such teaching : Woe unto themthat call evil good and good evil ; that put darkness for light andlight for darkness .

The F o lk 8 07793 ofS outhern [7777777 (page 166) thus express thesame doctrine

T o them tha tfully know the hea venly t ruth ,There is no go od o r ill ; nor anything

T o be des ir ed , uncl ean, o r purely clean.Where G od is seen,there can be nought but G od .His hea rt c an ha ve no pla cefor fea r or shame ;

F or ca ste , uncleannes s , ha te , o r wandering thought ,Impure or pur e , a re a ll a like t o him .

”Mr . R . C . Bose thus shows the moral influence of the doctrine“ This system ha s proved a refuge oflies t o many a ha rdened sinner .Wha t a ba lm to the sea red b ut no t dea dened conscience is a system which

3?He is wise among m en,he is po ssessed ofdevo tion, and performs a ll a ctions ,

who sees inaction in a ction, and a ct1onm 1na ct 10n.

”IV. 18.

EXAMINATIO N . 81

a ssures them tha t a ll their fea rs a ris ing from their recognition ofmo ra l dist inotions a re groundless , and tha t perfect bea titude will be their rewa rd if they can

only bring themselves to the conclus ion tha t there is no differ ence betweenG odand m an, virtue and vice , cleanlines s and fi

‘

l th, hea ven and hell

WhileHinduism denies , Christiani ty affirm s , the reality of aneternal and necessary distinction between sin and righteousness .

14. CASTE ALLEGED T O DEADIVINE INSTITUTIO N .

Caste i s the essence ofHinduism . So long as a man observesit s rules , he possesses all the rights of aHindu , whatever may behis belief or conduct in other respects . Guru Prasad Sen saysHinduism is no t , and ha s never been a religious organiza tion. I t is a

pur e so cia l system , ins isting in tho se who a reHindus the obs ervance ofcerta inso cia l fo rms , and no t the pro fess ion ofpa rticula r r eligious beliefs . AHindum ay be an a theist , a deist , a mono theis t , or a po lytheist , a beli ever in theVeda sor Sha stra s , or a sceptic a s rega rds their autho rity , and his po s ition a s aHinducanno t be questioned by anybody be cause ofhis beli efs or unbelie fs so long a s

he conforms to socia l rules .

Krishna claims to be the author of CasteThe four ca stes were crea ted by me a cco rd ing to the apportionment of

qua lities and works . Know tha t I , though a ct ionless and inexhaust ible , am the

author ofthem .

”IV. 13.

T he duties of the four castes are as follows :The duties ofB ra hmans , Ksha triya s ,Va isya s , and Sudra s , ha ve been

a ppo rtioned a cco rding to the qua lities bo rn oftheir own na tures .

“ Tranquillity , sel f-restra int , austerity (tap a s) , pur ity , pa tienc e , rect itude ,spiritua l knowl edge and fa ith , a re the na tura l dutie s ofa Bra hman.

”

Va lour , glory , coura ge , skill , keeping one’s ground , libera lity and lordlybe a ring , a re the na tura l duties ofa Ksha triya .

Agriculture , tending ofca ttle , and trade , form the na tura l duties ofaVa isya .

The na tur a l duty ofa Sudra consists in service . xviii . 41 -44.

T he intermingling of castes i s regarded as a dire calamity .

Krishna saysIf I should not wo rk , these wo rlds would s ink in ruin. I should b e the

cause ofca ste confusion, and should destroy these people .” iii . 2 4.

Arjuna i s told that a person does not sin who acts accordingto hi s caste .His duty as a Kshatriya was to fight , and that thushe would obtain an entrance to heaven .

Better is one’s own work though faulty , than ano ther’s well perform ed.He who do eth the work prescribed by na tur e incurre th no sin.

” xviii . 47 .

Rega rding , t oo , thy proper duty , thou oughtes t no t t o fa lter ,for there isno thing betterfor a Ksha triya than a lawful ba ttle .Happy a re the Ksha triya swho find such a ba tt le offe red freely to them a s an open doo r to hea ven.

”ii.

31 , 32 .

1 Introduct ion to'

the S tudy ofB 777d777sm , pp. 4, 5.

82 THE BHAGAVAD G ITA.Bishop Caldwell has the following remarks on the duty of

every one to follow the work of his caste“Aso ldier ofthe Ks ha triya ca ste ha s no duty superio r t o fight ing.

I f fighti ng and slaying a re lawful s imply becaus e they a re ca ste employments ,the immutabil ity ofm o ra l obl iga tions is igno red .Wha t sha ll we say thenofthe Ka lla r s , the thief ca st e ofthe South , the ancient (but now genera llya bandoned) employment ofwho s e ca s te wa s to stea l , and who se ca ste namemeans s imply thieves Krishna ’s tea ching on this hea d eleva tes the convemt iona l duties ofthe institutions ofa da rk age above the essent ia l dist inct ionsbetween right and wrong .

”

It i s granted that caste has some advantages . It promotes astationary semi - civilisation . It binds together men ofthe sameclass i t promotes cleanliness and it i s a check in certa in directionson moral conduct . But these are far more than counterbalancedby its pernicious effects . T he opinions of competent witnesseswill be given on this point .

T he following are the heads of a lecture by Pandit Sivana thSastri on Caste

(1 ) It ha s produced disunion and disco rd . (2 ) It ha s made honestmanua l labour contemptibl e in this country . (3) It ha s checked internaland externa l commerc e . (4) It ha s brought on phys ica l degenera cy by con

fining ma rria ge within na rrow circles . (5) It ha s been a source ofconserva t ism in every thing . (6) It ha s suppressed the d evelopment ofindividua li ty and independence ofcha ra cter . (7 ) It ha s helped in developing o therinjurious customs , such a s ea rly ma rria ge , the cha rging ofhea vy ma trimonia lf ees , &c . (8) I t ha s success fully restra ined the growth and developmentofna tiona l wo rth ; whil st a llowing opportunity ofmenta l and spiritua l cultureonly to a l imited number ofprivileged people , it ha s denied thes e oppo rtunitiest o the ma j o rity ofthe lower cla sses ; consequently it ha s made the countrynega tiv ely a loser . (9) It ha s made the country fi tfor fo reign sla very by previously ensla ving the people by the mo st abj ect spiritua l tyranny .

SirH. S . Maine , inA77 c7e77 7 L aw,characteri ses caste as the

777037 7773 77377 0 773 7777 77 bl79h77779 ofhum an 77737777 7770773 .

Principal Caird says T he system of Caste involves the worstof all wrongs to humanity— that of hallowing evil by the authorityand sanction of religion Instead of breaking down artificia l

barriers,waging war with fal se separations , softening divisions and

undermining class hatreds and antipathies,religion becomes it self

the Very consecration of them .

O i all forgeries , says Dr . K .M. Banerjea , the most fiagitions and profane is that which connects the name of the Almightywith an untruth .

”Y e t this i s what i s done in the Gita .

15. THE EFFICACY O F SHRADDHAS .

Sir WilliamJones , in the Preface to hi s translation of Mann’sCode , characterises it as a system of priestcraft .

.

One offthemost effectual inventions of the Brahmans for fie ecm g theHindus

EXAMINATIO N . 83

i s that of Shraddhas . T heir origin is attributed by Mann to theSelf ExistentSince fi om hell , ca ll ed Put, the son (p7777 0 ) preserves (77 7 the

fa the1 , the1 efore , pu tra wa s he ca lled , even2O

by the Self exist ent himse lf .”

ix . 138 .

A childless man who has no son to make offerings for him“

is

said to fall into the hell called P777.

T he general idea of theHindus is that the dead require tobe nourished for three generations by their descendants , and tohave works of merit performed for their b enefit . T his 1s taughtin the B hagavad Gita

Their forefa thers , being deprived of10777 77773 and wat er , fa ll (fromi . 42 .

Mann says that at least three Brahmans should be invited toShraddhas when the ceremony is performed .

The manes 777 73) indeed st and by those invited Brahmans , andfollow(them) l ike wind ik ewise sit by them when s ea t ed .

” V i . 189 .

T he Vishnu Purana teaches that what i s given to the Brahmans b enefits the 10777 73 .

Evils ofS hra ddha s .—Shraddhas a re a curse to India

,and a

great obstacle to its improvement . In some cases the expense i snearly equal to that of a marriage .

Numbers of idle vagabonds,some of them notoriously Vicious

,

are maintained who should work for their living . T he 1m pre ssion

i s given that a m an’s welfare m another world depends mainly

,not

upon his own conduct,but on the offerings m ade after hi s death .He may lead any sort of life , however immoral and wicked , provid

ed he leave enough to feed the Brahmans , and especially to havehis Shraddha performed at Gaya . T hus encouragement i s givento sin . O h the other hand , a childless man i s said to fall into P777.

T he greatJudge of all the earth will do that which i s right . Aman wi ll be rewarded or punished for hi s own deeds

,not for those

of others over which he has no control .T he whole system is clearly an invention of the Brahmans to

deceive ignorant credulousHindus and get their money . At a timeWhen mourning the loss of relatives

,they work upon their feelings

,

and extort from them all they can. T he most frightful account i sgiven of the sufferings of those whose shraddhas are not performed .

It i s our duty to cheri sh the memory of our forefathers,but

their happiness m a future state depends upon their own conduct—not

.upon our offerings . T he best way of showing respect forthem 1s by living noble lives .

T he system of Shraddhas , injurious in so many ways , i s supported by the B hagavad G l t a .


1 6 . THEVALUE O F BHAKTIOne great design of the poem is to exalt the doctrine of devo

tion to Kri shna . Kri shna saysEven if one ofevil life worshippeth me and not any o ther , he must

cert ainl y be deemed t o be good ,for he ha th judged rightly .

” ix . 30.

T he following assurance i s given towards the end of the Poem

T he m an, t oo , who m ay hea r it in fa ith , without reviling. sha ll , whenlibera ted , a tta in the happy wo rld ofthe virtuous . xviii . 7 1 .

T he value of faith depends upon its object . Faith in animaginary being who has no exi stence , must be worthless , andcan only destroy him by whom it i s exerci sed . T he Krishna ofthe B hagavad Gita as a mere fiction of the Vaishnava Brahmanby whom it was written . Faith is Krishna , a s described in thePuranas , with wives , would be still worse .

1 7 . KNOWL EDG E REDUCE S S INT O ASHES .

In Section IV Kri shna saysAl though thou wert the mo st sinful ofa ll s inful m en, thou wilt pa ss

over all tr espa sses by the boa t ofknowledge .

”36 .As th e na tura l fir e 0 Arjuna , reduceth the wood t o a shes , so the fire of

knowl edge reduceth a ll a ctions t o a shes .

”37 .

What is the knowledge that has such effects ‘

2 T he b la sphem

ous assertion,Aham B r a hm a

,I am G od . Is thi s true or false

18 . DYING INTHE L IGHT AND DARK FO RTNIGHTS .

T he promise is made that he who departs from thi s worldremembering Krishna secures absorption .

At the end oftime , he who , qu itting the body , depa rt eth thinkingonly ofme , without doubt ent ereth into my being .

”xiii . 5.

T here i s , however , another requisi te mentioned in the sameLecture . Kr l shna says

I will now speak t o thee oftha t time in which , should yogis die , theywill not return, and oftha t tim e in which dying they sha ll return t o li fe . 2 3.

Tho se ho ly m enwho know Brahma , depa rting this l ife in fi re,light

,the

day-t ime , in the bright s ea son ofthe moon, within the six months ofthe

sun’s no rthern course , go unto him . 2 4 .

“ B ut tho se who depa r t in smoke , night , the moon’s da rk sea son, and

whilst the sun is yetWithin the southern pa rt ofhis journey . a scend for a

whil e t o the regions ofthe m oon, and a ga in return t o morta l birth .

"

2 5.

Does any intelligent m an believe that his future happinessdepends upon h1s dym g in the light or dark fortnight

THE BHAGAVAD G ITA I SNO T A DIVINE REVELATIO N . 85

PRO O F S THAT THE BHAGAVAD GIT A ISNO T A

DIVINE REVELAT ION .

T he Gita claims to be the Divine Song .With regard toone of its principal doctrines , Krishna says :

This eterna l (do ctrine o i) yoga I fo rmerly taught t o Viva swa t , andViva swa t taught it to Mann, and Manu made it known t o Ik shwéku . iv . 1 .

Viva swa t i s interpreted to mean Aditya , the sun , the sourceof the whole Kshatriya race . Manu told it to his son Ik shwaku

,

born,according to the Vishnu Purana ,

“ from his nostril when hehappened to sneezeIn ancient times

,the sun was represented as a god . We now

know that it i s a globe of the fierce st fire . Every intelligentHindu must regard the above statement as a myth .

T he following are a few of the reasons which show that theGita i s not inspired . T hey have been explained at length in theforegoing pages

,so that only a summary i s given .

1 . It s a c k now l e dgm ent ofPo lyt he ism .- (See pp. 58 No

intelligent man i s now a polytheist .2 . It s pant he is t ic T e a ching .

—(pp. 60 Krishna claimsto be everything that exi sts . T he whole world ha s been made byhimself

,out of himself .

3 . It s de b a s ing ide a s ofG od .— (page It i s asserted that

77

777773 and 777777 0 3 proceed from God as well as 3077770 77 .

4 . It s denia l oft he e t e rna l Dis t inc t ion b e twe en Right andWrong.- (pp. 79 It i s asserted that actions perform ed with

out attachment do not defile . Arjuna '

m ight kill all hi s relations ,yet if he acted without attachment , he woul d be free from theconsequences . When a man realizes that he is one with theSupreme Spirit , then virtue and vice are alike to him .

5. It s c la im ofC a s t e a s Divine lns t it ut ion.- (pp.81 T his

alone condemns the whole book . Ah iniquitous lie i s put in themouth of the Deity . Krishna says

,T he fourfold divi sions of

castes wa s created by me . T he remark of Dr . KM. Banerj ea hasbeen quoted : O i a l lfo rge rie s t he m o s t fla git ious and profaneis t ha t which c onne c t s t he na m e oft he Alm ighty w it h a n

unt rut h .

” Y e t this is what i s done in the Gita.

6 . It sfa ls e t e a ching wit h rega rd t o s a lva t ion.- Salvation

only means deliverance from future births . It i s alleged thatknowledge reduces sin to ashes

, (page T he idea i s given thatif a person thinks of Krishna in his last moments , he goes to him(pageHence the popul ar story of a very wicked man beingtaken to heaven , because he repeated his name when asking his sonNarayana to give him some water . Dying in the light fortnighti s also considered essential to salvation . (page


7 . It sfa lse Re a soning and Cont ra d ic t ions .—B

.

i shop Caldwellshows that , according to Krishna

’s logic,murder i s impossible

,for

the soul cannot be killed (page A few of the contradictionsacknowledged byMr . T elang are quoted . (page

8 . It s who le Doc t rine ofYoga is a De lus ion.—As a lreadym en

t ioned, the author makes Krishna say that he taught this eternaldoctrine toViva swa t , the sun . T his has been shown to beuntrue . T he doctrine itself i s also false . God and the soul arenot essentially one , so there cannot be a union between them intheHindu sense . It has been explained that the air we breathepurifie s the blood . If thi s 1s not done

,we become insensible and

die,as when a person is hanged or drowned . B y suppressing the

breath a person becomes so unconscious that he ceases to think .

But thi s idiocy i s no step to union with God : he has only rendered himself useless .

Union with God i s impossible . T he Creator and the creaturemust remain eternally distinct . But our great Father in heavenofi ers to us an eternal conscious existence of unspeakable happiness inHis presence . We become fit for this

,not by mechanical

means as posturing and suppressing the breath , but by feelings ofsorrow for sin , love to G od, and doing good to our fellowmen .

T his i s more fully explained in the next chapter .

T he Grita dwells upon the importance of K77 0 77 7ed9e . The E107

phany shows how thi s doctrine was exploded in the West manycenturies ago :

This differenc e between a religion ofint ell ectua l ‘ knowledge ’ or

9 77 0373, and one offa ith or 1073773 , wa s long ago known t o the Christian Church .

It is no new experience in it s infancy it had t o contend With eno rmoustheo sophica l sys tems , like tha t ofthe G 7777 , and chiefly ofAs ia tic o rigin. Thepro fesso rs ofthes e sys tems ca lled themselves the G no stics or Knowers . and

despised Christianity a s a re ligion ofm ere fa ith . Ea ch ofthem had it s trem endous and elabo ra ted a ccount t o give ofthe universe , couched in highsounding vers e or pro se , which it considered t o exhaust a ll the po ss ibilit ies ofknowledge . They a lso ,

like the G 770’7, enj o ined minut e and a rduous a scet i cdi scipline a s the right prepa ra tionfor rea ching the height ofintuition. Theyflourished , a ttra cted many disciples , and pa st away , while the religion offa ith survived .Why ? B ecause the obj ect oftheir belie f wa s an intell ectua lone , and ma inly specula tive . They were religions ofthe head ra ther than ofthe soul and hea rt they could no t feed the cra vings ofthe la tter , and so theywere found wanting , and expired with the next turn ofthe wheel ofphilo sophic thought . Just because they were religions founded on philo sophies ra the1than philosophies founded on rel igion, they went out offa shion with the

pa rticul a r systems they bu ilt upon. S ept . 2 7 , 1895.

Some of the deficiencie s of the Gita are thus pointed out byBishop Caldwell :

It nowhere exhibits any s ense ofthe evil ofsin considered a s a viola ~

tion oflaw,a s defi ling the cons cience , and a s countera cting the ends for

which m an wa s crea t ed . I t makes no provis ionfor the re -establishment ofthe autho rity ofthe Divine Lawgiver by the expia tion ofsin in such a

m anner a s to render forgiveness compa t ible with just ic e . I t t ea ches nothing



No thoughtful student of the past records of man,says

T rench , can refuse to acknowledge that through all it s historythere ha s run the hope of a redemption from the evil which oppresse s it ; and as little can deny that thi s hope ha s continually attacheditself to some single m an. T he help that 1s coming to the world

,

i t has seen incorporated in a person . T he generations of men,

weak and helpless 1n themselves,have evermore been looking after

ONE in whom they may find all they look for vainly ln themselves and m those around them .

T eaching by example 1s far more effective than mere precept .Humanity also yearns for one who can syrnpa thise with it in itstroubles . Al l these requirements are met 1n JE SU S CHRIST , theN73hka la 77k

,or spotless

,Avatara .

Space does no t permit a full account to be given of the wondr ous - l ife and teaching of JE SU S CHRIST . T he reader i s referredto the account of them given in the Gospels

,the first part of the

New T estament .Jesa s Christ was born about 19 centuries ago at Bethlehem , a

small town in Palestine , about midway between India and England .His first recorded discourse was at Nazareth , whereHeread the following passage from the prophet Esaias , or Isaiah ,explainingHis obj ect ln coming t o the world :

T he Spirit of the Lord 1s upon me , becauseHe hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor ;He hath sent me to healthe broken hearted

,to preach deliverance to the captives , and re

covering of sight to the blind , to set at liberty them that arebruised , to

”preach the acceptab le year o i. the L ord . T o day ,He said , i s thi s scripturefulfilled .He summed up our duty in the two great commands :T hou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heartT hou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself :He taught that sinful thoughts are forbidden as well as acts .

Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committedadultery with her already ln his heart . ”

Men are defi led ,not by what they eat , but by evil thoughts ,

covetousness,pride

,theft s , adulteries , 87 0 .

I t 1s said ofHimself thatHe went about doing good .He was holy , harmless , undefiled , and separate from sinners .No guile wa s found inHis mouth .He wa s full of grace andtruth .He challengedHis bitterest enemies to find lnHim anystain of sin .

Instead of spendingHis life 1n pleasure ,He was a man ofsorrows and acquainted with griefs .Hi s life was one ofprivation .

It 1s said ofHim thatHe had not where to layHis head .He sympa thized with all our sorrows .He wept with Martha and Mary atthe grave of their brother .His griefs and sorrows were ours .Hewas wounded for our transgressions ;He was bruised for our

THE TRUE INCARNATION . 89

iniquit l e s ; the cha st 1sen1 ent of our peace was upon , and withHisstripes we are healed .His teaching wa s , Love your enemies , bless them that curseyou

,do good to them that hate you , and pray for them which

despitefully use you and persecute you .

”When dying on the cross ,He prayed forHis murderers , saying , Father , forgive them ; for.they know not what they do .

”

T ruly this wa s the Son of G od .

J5 .Mil l on Je s us Chris tWhat ever el se m ay be taken away from us by ra tiona l criticism , Christi s st ill left—a uniqu e figure , no t more unl ike a llHis precursors than a llHisfollowers , even tho s e who had the direct b enefi t ofHis persona l t ea ching . Itis ofno u se t o say tha t Chris t , a s exhibited in the G o spel s , is not his to rica l ,and tha t we know no t how much ofwha t is a dmirable ha s been superaddedby the tradition ofHis fo llowers .Who among his disciples , or among theirpro selyte s , wa s capabl e ofi nventing the sayings a scribed t o Jesus , or ofima gining the l ife and cha ra cter re v ea led in the G o spels Certa inly no t thefi sherm en ofG a lil ee—stil l le s s _

the ea rly Christian writ er s . About the lifeand sayings ofJe sus th ere is a s tamp ofpersona l o rigina l ity combined withprofundity ofthought which mus t pla ce the Prophet ofNaza reth , even in

the estima tion oftho se who ha ve no bel ief inHis inspir a tion,in the very

first rank ofthe m en ofsubl ime genius ofwhom our species can bo a st .When this pre -eminent genius is combinedWith qua l ities ofproba bly thegrea test mo ra l refo rmer and ma rtyr t o tha t mis s ion who ever exist ed uponea rth , religion canno t be sa id t o ha ve ma de a b ad cho ic e in pitching upon thism an a s the idea l repres enta tiv e and guide ofhumanity ; nor even now wouldit be ea sy , evenfor an unbel iev er , t o find a better transla tion ofthe rule ofvirtue from th e abstra ct into the concrete , than t o endea vour so t o l iv e tha tChris t woul d approve our li fe . (Essays 0 77Na ture , the Util7ty ofRe ligion,

and T he73777 ; PP. 2 53

Lecky,in hisH7s tory ofEuropeanMora ls , bears the following

testimony to the EF F ECT S of Christianity“ I t wa s reserv edfo r Christianity t o present t o the world a cha ra cter ,

which , through a ll the changes ofeighteen centur ies , ha s inspired the hea rt sofm en with an impa ss ioned love : ha s shown itsel f capa bl e ofa cting on a ll

a ges , t emperaments , and conditions ; ha s been no t only the highest pa tternofvirtue , but the strongest incentiv e t o it s pra ctic e ; and ha s exercised so

deep an influence , tha t the s imple reco rd ofthree yea rs ofa ctive life ha s donemo re t o regenera te and so ft enmankind than a ll the discuss ions ofphilo sophersand a ll the exho rt a tions ofmo ra l ist s .

”

Re a s ons fo r t he S t udy ofChris t ianity.—An intelligent man

should have some acquaintance with all the great religions of theworld , but Christianity ha s special claims to attention .

T here are so many allusions to Christianity scattered throughout English literature , that no one ignorant of it can be a thoroughEngli sh scholar . It i s Christianity which ha s mainly raised painted savages to the fore-front of civilization . Gladstone

,one of the

greatest statesmen of modern times,says

,that for the la st fifte en

hundred years Chri stianity ha s always marched in the van of allhuman im provement and civil ization , and it ha s harnessed to its car

1 2


a ll that i s great and glorious in the human race . Christianity wasthe religion of men like Milton , Newton , Johnson , and ScottShakespeare , the greatest of writers , ends his will with these words :I commend my soul into the hands of God m y Creator ; hopingand as suredly believing , through the only meri ts of Jesus Christ ,my Savi our , to be made partaker of life everlasting .

Christianity a lone ha s a Savi our . Every thoughtful man feelsthe burden of guilt which he carri es about with him ; 1n the battlewith evi l which every man should fight , he feels that he needs help .

Chri stianity provides both . Alone we entered the world ; alone wedepart . Christi anity does not leave us to pass tremblingly intoan unknown eternity it promises the Saviour’s presence with usin that trying hour , and comforts us with the hope of a blessedimmortality .

Let the reader seriously ponder the foregoing remarks . Forfurther information he is referred to S hor t P apersfor S eekers afterT ruth

, (1 or to Dr . Murray Mitchell’s Elem ents ofCh7°7377a 77T ruth

, (1% As .) containing lectures to educatedHindus ; but , aboveall

,to theNew T es tam ent

, obtainable in any of the Bible Depotsscattered over India .

NOTE ONTHE POONAMURDERS .

S ee pp . 79-0 1 .

Chapek ar was hanged for the murder ofMr . B and at Poona .

On his way to the scaffold , he had a copy of the B hagavad Gita .His crime was justified by the doctrine that , Actions performedwithout attachment do not defi le .

”

PRINTEDAT THEM. PUB L ISHINGHOUSE ,MOUNT ROAD,MADRAS .


9 2 PUBLICATIO N S O F THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SO CIETY .

VO L UME I I .

PHIL O SOPHICALWORKS AND LAW B O OKS .

S e le c t ions from t he Upanisha d s . 8vo . 1 2 0 pp. 4 As . Post-free,

5 As .The Ka tha , and Sve t a sva t a ra , a s transla ted into Engl ish by Dr . Roer

, a re

quo ted in full , with the notes ofS anka ra Acha rya and o thers and there a re copiousextra cts from the B rihad Aranya and Chhandogya. Upanishads ; with an examina tionoftheir teaching.

T he B ha gava d G it a . 8vo . 108 pp. 4 As . Post- free,5 As .

Thi s work , suppo sed to represent the loftiest flight ofHindu philo sophy , consistsofa suppo sed di a logue between Arjuna and Krishna . It seeks t o ha rmoni se theVedanta , Y oga , and S ankhya doctrines , combining with them fa ith (bha kt i) inKri shna , and stern devotion t o ca ste duties . Numerous explana to ry no tes a re a dded .

Ve d ant a S a ra . 8vo . 143 pp. 4 As . Post-free,5 As .

Th is celebra ted trea tise , by S adananda , is considered the best popul a r expo si tionofthe Vedanta phil o sophy . The Engl ish transla tion is by the la te Dr . Ba ll antyne ,Principal ofthe S anskrit Co llege , Bena res ; but i t ha s been ca refully revised . Ahintroducto ry sketch ofHindu phi lo sophy is given a brief summa ry ofthe VedantaSutra s , followed by an examina tion ofthe system . The proo fs were read by Co lonelG .A. Jec ob .

Yoga S a s t ra . 8vo . 78 pp . 2 12 As . Post-free , 3 As .The Y oga Sutra s ofPa t anjal i exam ined , and the suppo sed Y oga powers shown to

b e a delusion. The true Y oga Sa stra is expla ined with a no tice ofSwami Vivekananda

’s Y oga Phil osophy .

T he Laws ofMa nu . 8vc . 100 pp. 4 As . Post-free , 45 14s .Mana r a Dha rm a -S a stra , the Laws ofManu , is no t only the mo st impo rtant ofa llthe lega l Codes , but i t is rega rded a s a lmo st equa l in ho l iness t o the Veda s . AnEngli sh transla tion is given ofthe principal pa ssa ges , with brief notices ofotherDha rma -Sa stra s , and a review ofthe Whole .

VO L UME I I I .

EPIC POEMS AND PURANAS .

T he Ra m aya na . 8vo . 180 pp . 7 As . Post- free, 8% As .

A full abridgment ofthi s celebra ted poem is given in Engli sh,with explana to ry

no tes , where necessa ry . An Introduction trea ts ofthe author and age ofthe poem,Wi th explana tions ofit s a ims by eminent O rienta l schola rs i t is compa red Wi th the

Mahabha ra ta and the G reek epic poems . The review describes the sta te ofsocietyduring the time ofthe author ; the cla ims ofthe poem to b e a sacred bo ok a re

examined ; and , in conclusion,an a ccount is given oftheNishk alank o r Spo tless

Ava ta r .

T heMa ha b ha ra t a . 8vo . 1 76 pp. 7 As . Post- free, 8

:2L As .

Th is work , besides a fi ording vivid pictures ofthe tim es described , m ay be rega rdeda s an encyclopaedia ofHindui sm , conta ining most ofthe legends with which thepeople a re famili a r . The B hagava d G ita,

included in the B hishm a -Pa rva,is pub

li shed sepa ra tely . The leading sto ry ofthe poem is given with some ofthe principa lepisodes . The introduction trea ts ofthe autho rship , 850 the review notices theexcellencies and defects ofthe poem

, &c .

PUBLICATIO N S O F THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SO CIETY . 93

T he Vishnu Pura na . 8170 . 96 pp . 3 As . Post-free , 4 As .An abridgment is given, ver ba t im ,

from the English transla tion ofH.H.Wilson,

Pro fesso r ofSanskri t University ofO xford ; with an examina tion ofthe Book inthe light ofthe present day. Avery brief abstra ct is a l so given. ofthe eighteenPurana s .

Sold separately or in volumes .T he volumes may be had in stiffcovers at Re . 1 each in half

cloth at Re . Postage,2 As . T he prices are

’

net—no discounti s allowed .

HINDU PHIL O SOPHY .

ARa t iona l Refut a t ion oft heHindu Philo sophic a l 5ys t em s .

'

2 nd Edition . 8vo . 2 08 pp . Price,10 As . net

,Post-free .

B y NehemiahNila k antha sastri G oreh , Transla ted from the o rigina lHindi ,printed and manuscript , by Fitz-Edwa rdHa ll , D . C . L . , 0 7 0 77 ,H.M.’s Inspecto r ofPubl ic Instructionfor the Centra l Provinces .

Philo sophicHinduism . 8vo . 7 2 pp. 2 1 As . Post-free, 3 As .

T he Upanishads the Six Schoo l s ofHindu Philo sophy ; the Mino r S chools ;Doctrines ofPhilosophicHinduism : the B hagavad G ite ; Causes ofthe Fa ilure ofHindu Philo sophy .

S t ud ie s in t he Upa nis ha ds . 8vo . 80 pp. 2 1, As . Post-free,3 As .

Five Lectures by the Rev . T . E . Sla ter . Ah interesting a ccount is given ofthedevelopment ofancient Indian thought , and it s pra ctica l resul ts in the l ife andrel igion ofthe people . The Vedanta is contra sted with Christianity .

T ra nsm igra t ion and Ka rm a . 8V0 . 60 pp. 2 As . Post-free,2 % As .

Lectures by Rev. T . E. Sla ter . An examina tion oftwo importantHindu tenets .

T ransm igra t ion. 1 2 mo . 19 pp. B yREV. DR .W. HOOPER,1 Anna .

S wa m iVive k ananda onHinduism . 8570 . 96 pp. 3 As . Post-free,

4 As .The Swami’s Chicago Address is quo ted in ful l and examined impo rtant facts a rebrought out which he omitted t o sta te .

Swa m iVive k ananda and his G uru. 8vo . 1 2 5 pp. 3 As . Postfree

,4 As .

A history ofthe Swami and his G uru is given the Swami’s boa sted success in theWest is shown t o be untrue by the letters of45 prominent Americans the Vedantaphilo sophy examined portra its a re given ofSchopenhauer andMaxMu ller , with anestima te ofthe impo rtance t o be a tta ched to their approva l ofVedantism .

POPUL AR HINDUISM.Popula rHinduis m . 8vo . 96 pp. 2 5As . Post-free , 3% As .Review oftheHinduism ,

ofthe Epic Poems and Purana s, &0 Rites and O b se r

vances Effects ofHinduism ,and Suggested Refo rms .His t o ry oft heHindu T ria d . (Brahma , Vishnu , and Siva .) 8vo .

64 pp. 2 As . Post-free , 2 5As .

An a ccount is fi rst given ofthe ea rl iest gods oftheHindus ; the changes whicha fterwa rds took pla ce a re described , with the development ofthe Triad a s given intheHindu sacred bo oks .

94 PUBLICATION S O F THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SO CIETY .

Krishna a s des c rib e d in t he Purana s and B hagava d G it a .

8vo . 7 2 pp. As . Post-free , 3 As .Aful l account is given ofthe Kri shna Ava tars ,chiefly taken from the Vishnu

Purana ,with some extrac ts from the Bhagava ta Pa rana and the Mahabhara ta . The

circumstances which led t o the grea t wa r between the Pcindus and Kum s a re

described ; and some ofthe doctrines ofthe B hagavad G ita a re exam ined in

Acc ount oft he T em ple ofJa ganna t h a t Puri . 8vo . 48 pp. 15As .The a ccount is taken chi efly from DR . RAJENDRALALAMI T RA’SAntiqu it ies ofO r issaHunter’s G azet t eer ofI nd ia , S terl ing’s 0 17 330 , 870 .With views ofthe temple

,

procession, and images .

Devil = Dance rs ,Wit ch = F inde rs , Ra in-Ma k e rs , andMed ic ineMen. 4to . 60 pp. 2 52LAs . Post-free

,3 As .

Afull account ofthese cur ious and degrading superstitions , preva lent amongbackwa rd na tions in different pa rts ofthe world ; with 36 illustra tions .

B RAHMA SAMAJ.

T he B ra hm a S a m a j, and o the rModem Ec le c t ic Re ligious

S ys t em s . 108 pp. 3 As . Post-free , 4 As .ModernHindu Theism ; Rammohun Roy ; Deb endrana th Ta gore ; Ke shub

Chunder Sen ; Sadharan Brahmo Sama j Madra s Brahmo ism ; Pra rthana Seme jes .

CHRIST IANIT Y .

Christ ianity Expla ine d t o aHindu ; o r , T he Doc t rine s ofChris t ia nity a ndHinduism Com pa re d . 60 pp . 2 As .

Doctrines about G od , Crea tion, the S oul , Ka rma, Transmigra tion, S in,

Inca rna tions ,Salva tion,

Pro spects a t dea th , and Compa ra tive Efi ec t s .

ind iaHindu , a nd Ind ia Chris t ian o r ,Wha tHinduis m ha s

done fo r ind ia , and wha t Chris t ianity would do fo r it .

8vo . 7 2 pp. 2 12‘ As . Pos t - free , 3 As .

Address t o thoughtfulHindus , showing how much their country would b enefi tfrom the religionwhich m any ofthem now oppo se .

Le tt e rs t o Indian Youth on t he Evidence s ofChris t ianity.

1 2 mo . 2 80 pp. 6 As . Post -free, 7 As .

B y the REV. DB .MURRAYMI T CHE L L . Externa l and Internal Evidences ofChrist ianity Examina tion ofPopul a rHinduism

,Vedantism

,and Muhammadanism .

B a rrows Lec t ure s . Chris t ianity t heWo rld -Wide Re ligion.

8170 . 188 pp. 6 As . Post-free,As .

Seven Lectures,by the REV. DR . BARROWS , ofChica go .

1 . TheWorld-Wide Aspects ofChristiani ty. 2 . TheWorld-Wide Efi ec t s ofChri stiani ty . 3 . Christian Theism a s the ba sis ofa Universa l Religion. 4 .

TheUniversa l Bo ok . 5. Th e UniversalMan and S aviour . 6 . TheHi storical Cha racterofChri stianity . 7 . TheWo rld’s First Pa rl iament ofRel igions .

Elem ent s ofChris t ian T rut h . 1 2 mo . 71 pp. 151 As .Lectures, by the REV. DR . MURRAYMIT CHEL L , del ivered t o Educa tedHindus .

l

B ushne l l’s Cha ra c ter ofJe s us . 18mo . 9 2 pp. 1% As .With notes by the REV. T . E. SLATER .


96 PUB LICAT ION S O F THE CHRI STIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY .N0 . 2 . T he S uppos e d a nd Re a l Doc t rine s ofHinduism , a s he ld

b y Educ a t e dHindus . 8vo . 32 pp. B y the REV.NEHEMIAH(NILAKANTH) G OREH .

321 Anna .

It is shown tha t the bel ief ofeduca tedHindus with rega rd t o G od ,His Attributes ,Crea tion,

&c .

,a re no t found in the Veda s but have been derived from Christianity .N0 . 3 .Mo ra l C o ura ge . 8vo . 32 pp . Anna .

A lecture by the Bishop ofBombay .N0 . 4 . T he im po rt anc e ofRe ligion. 8vo . 48 pp. Anna .An appea l t o the young, by JOHNF O S T ER ,autho r ofE ssays onDec is ion ofCha ra cter .NO . 5 . Chris t ianity, 0r—Wha t ? 8170 . 1 6 pp .

—A .nna B y theREV.H. R10E .

Christianity is shown t o be the only rel igion which meets the wants ofm an.No . 6 . T he S ens e ofS in in t he Light ofHis t o ry. Alectureby the REV. F .W. KELLETT ,M.A. ,Madras Christian College .

8vo . 2 0 pp. ?.gAnna .

It is shown tha t the deeper the sense ofsin,the more na ture the religious l ife .No . 7 . B is hop C a ldwe l l on Krishna a nd t he B ha gava d G it a .

8vo . 32 pp. 751Anna .

A reprint ofRema rks on the la teHon. Sadagopah Cha rloo’s introduction to a

Reprint ofa Pamphl et entitled, T heosophy oftheHindus with a preface by the

Rev .JL .Wya tt .No . 8 . T he Dut ie s ofEduca t ed Young .Men t o t he ir Count ry.

8vo . 1 6 pp . 5~ Anna .

Address by the REV.H. B AL L ANT YNE, a t a Meeting ofthe Ahmednaga r Deba ting

Society . Transla ted from the Ma ra thi .No . 9 . Chris t t he F ulfilm ent ofHinduis m . 8vo . 2 3 pp.éAnna .

A lectur e by the REV. F .W. KEL L ETT,M.A. , Madra s Christian Co ll ege .No . 1 0 . Ved ant ism . 8vo . 2 1 pp. ! Anna .

B y the REV. LAL B EHARI DAY ,with numerous Sanskrit quo ta tions .No . 1 1 . T he Defe c t ivene s s ofB ra hm o ism . 8V0 . 2 4 pp.

lAnna .

A lecture by the REVLAL B EHARI DAY .No . 1 2,

Pre l im ina ry Dia logue s on im po rt a nt ! ue s t ions 111

Ind ia . 8vo . 74 pp. 2 As . Post free,2 1 As .

B y a member ofthe O xfo rd Mission, Ca lcutta .Hindu and Christian Conceptions

ofG od , Theismversus Pantheism ,Personal ity

,Merit and Demerit , Sin, &0 .No . 13 .He lps t o T rut h = 5 e e k e rs . 8yo . 32 pp. 1 Anna .

B y the REV.H. RI CE . Current objections t o Christianity considered .NO . 14 .Hindu Pa nt he ism . 8vo . 18 pp. Anna .

FromAnt i- the ist-ic T heor ies , by the Pro fesso r Fl int , an able writer .No . 15 .Hinduism and Chris t ia nity : a Com pa ris on a nd a

Cont ra s t . 8170 . 64 pp. B; As . Post-free,2 As .

B y the REV. DR . JP . JONES ofMadura . The po ints in whi ch the two Rel igionsresemble ea ch o ther a re sta ted , a s well a s their difi erence s .N0 . 1 6 . T he G ods ofAnc ient Europe . 8vo . 80 pp. 2As . Postfree , 2 1 As .

The G ods 0 12

ancient G reece , Rome , G ermany, and Brita in a re described ; their disappea rance befo re Christianity, and the pro spects ofa simila r change in India .Numerous illustra tions .

Complete in oneVolume.HalfCloth, gilt title, I Re. Postage, 2As.

PUBLICATIO NS O F THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SO CIETY . 97

SO C IAL REF O RM.O h De c is ion ofCha ra c t e r a ndMo ra l Coura ge . 8vo . 56 pp . 193 As .

Post- free , 2 As .

Areprint ofF O ST ER’S celebra ted E ssay , with some rema rks on its appl ica tionto India .

S a nit a ry Refo rm in Ind ia . 55 pp . 2 As . Post- free , 2 5As .How lakhs ofLives m ay be saved every yea r , and crores ofca ses ofS icknessprevented ; Precautions aga inst Fever , Cho lera ,

Diabetes , &0 .

Is Ind ia b e com ing Po o re r o r Riche r ?Wit h Rem edie s fo r t he

Exis t ing Pove rty. 8170 . 82 pp. 2 4As . Post-free , 3 As .The preva iling idea with rega rd to the increa sing poverty ofIndia shown to b eincorrect , and the true means ofpromo ting it s wea lth expla ined .

De b t a nd t he Right Us e ofMoney. 8V0 . 32 pp. 1 Anna .

Preva lence ofDebt in Ind ia ; it s Causes ; Evils ; how t o get out ofi t ; withFranklin’sWay toWea lth , &c .

Purity Refo rm . 8vo . 32 pp. 1 Anna .

The grea t need ofthis reform shown,and the meansfor its promo tion.

T em pe ra nce Refo rmin India . 8vo . 40 pp . As . Post-free , 2 As .Intoxica ting liquo rs in Ancient India ; Intemperance in England ; TemperanceRefo rm in theWest ; spread ofIntemperance in India ; Temperance Refo rm in

India ; how t o promo te Temperance Refo rm ; with Po rtra its ofLivesey , Fa therMa tthew

, S irWil fred Lawson, Dean Fa rra r , Messrs . Samuel Smith and Ca ine .

C a s t e . 8vc . 66 pp . 2 As . Post -free,2 % As .

Suppo sed and rea l o rigin ofCa ste ; Laws ofCa ste a ccording to Manu it s Effects ;Duty with roga rd t o it .

T heWom en ofInd ia a nd wha t c an b e Done fo r T hem . 8vo .

158 pp. 4 As . Post - free, 5515 As .Women inHindu l i tera ture ; Fema le Educa tion ; Ma rriage Customs ;Widow

Ma rriage ; means to be a dopted t o ra ise the po sition ofWomen.

The above complete in oneVolume, 1 RupeeNet. Postage, 2 5As.Prize Es s ay on t he Prom o t ion ofind ian Dom e s t ic Refo rm . 8V0 .

144 pp. 4 As . Post- free, 5 As .

The prize wa s ga ined by G anpa t Lakshman, ofBombay , in 1841 .His E ssay wa spubl ished with a Prefa to ry No te by the Rev . Dr . JohnWil son

,inwhich it is highly

commended a s giving a graphic and correct picture ofHindu family l i fe .

PICE PAPERS ONINDIANREF ORM, Anna each.

Some a re o rigina l ; o thers a re abridged from the fo rego ingfor popula r use .

1 . C a us e s ofInd ian Pove rty.

2 . Ind ianMa rria ge Cus t om s .

3 . S uppo s e d a nd Re a l C a us e s ofDis e a s e .

4 . Pa t rio t ism : F a ls e a nd T rue .

5 .Mana gem ent ofInfa nt s .

6 . De b t , a ndHow t o G e t out ofit .

7 . T he Purda h ; o r t he S e c lus ion ofIndianWom en

98 PUBLICATIO N S O F THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE S O CIETY .

8 . C a s t e : it s O rigin a nd Effec ts .

9 . Ast ro logy.

1 0 .Wha t ha s t he B rit is h G ove rnm ent done fo r India ?1 1 .Who wro t e t he Ve da s ?1 2 .Ma nava = Dha rm a S a st ra .

13 . T he B ha gava d G it a .

14 . T he S c ienc e oft heHindu S a s t ra s .

15 . F eve rs : t he ir C a us e s , T re a tm ent , a nd Prevent ion.

1 6 . Cho le ra and B owe l Com pla int s .

1 7 . Anim a lWo rs hip.

1 8 . Ea rlyMa rria ge ; it s Evils a nd S ugge s t e d Refo rm s .

1 9 . Duty t o aWife .

2 0 . T he F ruit s ofHinduis m .

2 1 . India nWid ows , a nd wh a t should b e Done fo r t hem .

2 2 . T heAdva nt a ge s ofF em a le Educ a t ion.

2 3 .Hindu a nd Chris t ianWo rship Com pa re d .

2 4 .Hindu Pi lgrim a ge s .

2 5 . Cha rity : F a ls e a nd T rue .

2 6 . T he T woWa t chwo rds—Cus t om and Progre s s .

2 7 . T he Va lue ofPureWa t e r .

2 8 . Cha rm s ,Mant ra s , a nd o t he r S upe rs t it ions .

2 9 .Na ut che s .

3 0 . Im po rt ance ofC le a nline ss .

3 1 .How t o haveHe a l t hy Child ren.

3 2 .How t o b ring up Chi ld ren.

33 .How t o t a k e c a re oft he S ick .

34 . Ec lips e s .

35 . F a m ily Pra ye r .

3 6 . G ivingAb us e .

37 . S hra ddha s .

3 8 . Ka rm a o r F a t e .

3 9 . T he F a t he rho od ofG od .

4 0 . T he B ro t he rho od ofMa n.

4 1Hindu a nd Chris t ia n [d e a ls ofPie ty.

4 2 Pra ya schit t a .

Complete in aVolume, ha lfb ound, gilt title, I Re. Postage, 2As.

43 . AhAppe a l t o Young lndia .

PRO G RESS .

T his is a monthly illustrated Periodical for the educated classe s inIndia and Ceylon. T he subscription is only 8As . a year ; withpostage

,1 1As . T hree copies may be sentfor glg anna postage .

T he Peri odical i s specially recommended to T EACHERS . It wouldgive new ideas to their pupils , whil e the page for studentswould be very useful to those preparing for examinations .

Orders to be addressed toMR .A. T . SCOTT , T ract Depot ,MADRAS .

PRINTEDAT THE 11 . E . PU B L I SHINGHOUSE ,MOUNT ROAD,MADRAS , 1900 .

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