Krishna:
Undesirable indeed is fighting for worldly gain
and pleasures – fight not for such.
Fight for justice; strive to uphold what is right.
Allow not weakness overcome you.
Arjuna:
Must I fight my own folks, my kith and kin?
I am truly confused; relieve me from this confusion, Krishna!
Krishna:
You are disturbed by the thought of death.
You are confused because you forget that
birth and death, both are just passing experiences.
None is lasting, none permanent.
The True Self that is within every living being
is never born and It never dies.
Birth and death are experienced by the body,
the garment worn by The True Self.
As the body changes worn out garments,
so The Self changes body.
Change, my friend, is the Law of Nature.
Don’t you get disturbed by it.
Grief and happiness, both are fleeting experiences
perceived by you because of the contact between
your senses and the outer world.
Transcend such perceptions to attain Bliss Undisturbed.
The True Bliss transcends all laws,
all changes; It is Eternal.
Such Bliss alone truly matters,
everything else is but meaningless.
In the attainment of such Bliss,
you discover your True Self,
That is never born, That never dies,
That is Transcendental and Eternal.
The True Self never kills
and cannot be killed.
By discovering it, you discover
the Self within all beings moving and not moving.
Know the Self that is within you,
to be within me – within all of us.
Such finding, such discovery shall
free you from grief and anxiety.
The True Self that permeates all beings,
is also All Pervasive;
It envelopes the entire Existence;
It is Within and Without.
All beings come from non being,
and they go back to non being again.
Existence comes from Non Existence,
and returns to Non Existence again.
Forms are ever changing,
whereas The True Self never changes.
Know birth and death to be manifestations
of such change –worry for none!
And, know your birth in the family of warriors
to serve an existential purpose;
that to serve your nation and fellow beings.
Be true to that purpose; flee not from your responsibility.
Great indeed is the task that you are entrusted with.
Generations to come would certainly remember you
for your sacrifice, should you perish in the service.
If alive, this very generation will rejoice in your victory.
But, why should you even think about that?
Consider neither death nor life;
neither victory, nor lose.
Do your duty to the best of your capability.
Allow not your mind to waver in
thinking of such things.
Gather your strength and courage
to fulfill your duty in this life.
Work for sake of work,
not for heavenly or worldly pleasures.
Do not think of the outcome, which is secondary.
The effort put by you, that is primary.
Free yourself of anxiety about the result
of your work, of your efforts.
Work without worry,
fulfill your duty without anxiety.
Free yourself of thoughts such as;
“What others would think of me if I fail?”
Follow your conscience and
do what it says.
Arjuna:
How to do that, Krishna?
How do I follow my conscience?
How can I hear its injunctions?
Be kind and tell me, O Krishna.
Krishna:
Free yourself of desires;
free yourself of enslavement by the mind;
and, you shall be in touch with your conscience.
You shall clearly hear its voice.
That, my friend, is Enlightenment!
At that point, you will be free of
all worries, anxieties, anger, and experiences of
grief and happiness will no longer affect you.
And enlightened person is not overjoyed
because of the gain;
also not disturbed by the loss.
An enlightened person is ever content.
Knowledge of Self and
mastery over it makes such a person
a true human, free and
not affected by the triggers outside.
When the senses come in contact
with the objects of the world,
the desire to own and enjoy
those objects is triggered.
Unfulfilled desires bring disappointment
and create anger, which in turn makes
one lose one’s capacity to discriminate
the right from the wrong.
An enlightened person is wise,
his or her senses are under control.
Such person, though living in the world,
is never affected by the worldly objects.
Balanced within, such person is always striving
to attain to new heights of consciousness.
Ever at peace, an enlightened person
experiences everlasting Bliss.
Aware of one’s True Self, a person attains to
excellence in this very life.
And, unites with the Supreme Self,
after having lived such excellent life in the world.