Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18
Introduction
Chapter 18 of Bhagavad Gita is the conclusion. In this chapter, the narrator of Gita, Kaal (Brahm) repeats the most secretive knowledge and also reveals to Arjun the passage to achieve complete liberation and Supreme God. He asks Arjun to go in to the refuge of another Supreme God for Transcendental Peace. From verses 62 to 68, the narrator of Gita instructs Arjun to seek the shelter of some other Supreme God.
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Chapter 18 Verse 1: O mighty-armed! O All-knowing! The destroyer of Keshi! I want to know the truth about Sanyas (renunciation) and Tyaag (relinquishment) separately.
Chapter 18 Verse 2: The Pandits consider the relinquishment of religious actions performed for the fulfilment of desire to be Sanyas, and other wise men call the relinquishment of the fruits of all actions as Tyaag.
Chapter 18 Verse 3: Some learned persons say this that acts of bhakti opposite to the ordinances of scriptures are faulty; therefore, should be relinquished. And other learned persons say this that the acts of yagya, charity and austerity should not be relinquished.
Chapter 18 Verse 4: O Lion-man (braveman) Arjun! Among Sanyas and Tyaag, first of all hear my firm opinion on Tyaag because Tyaag is said to be of three types.
Chapter 18 Verse 5: The acts of yagya, charity and austerity should not be relinquished; rather, they must be performed because the acts of yagya, charity and austerity only are the purifiers of the wise men.
Chapter 18 Verse 6: O Paarth! These acts of yagya, charity and austerity and also all the duties should be performed abandoning attachment and fruits. This is my definite supreme opinion.
Chapter 18 Verse 7: But the renunciation of prescribed scripture-based act is not right. Its abandonment out of ignorance because of being emotional out of delusion is said to be Tamas Tyaag.
Chapter 18 Verse 8: Whatever action is for bhakti-sadhna and for sustenance of body is a form of misery only. Considering this, if someone relinquishes his duties with the fear of physical suffering i.e. considering the performance of action to be suffering, then he by doing this Rajas Tyaag does not attain the fruit of relinquishment in any way.
Chapter 18 Verse 9: A scripture-based action which is performed with this belief that it is a duty to perform it, by abandoning attachment and fruits, is only considered to be a Satvik Tyaag.
Chapter 18 Verse 10: He who neither hates the action which is inauspicious and nor becomes attached to an auspicious action, that person endowed with Satvgun is free from doubts, is intelligent, and a true Tyaagi (renunciant).
Chapter 18 Verse 11: Because it is not possible for any embodied human being to entirely relinquish all the actions. It is said that only he is a Tyaagi (renunciant) who relinquishes the fruits of actions.
Chapter 18 Verse 12: The fruit of actions of those who do not relinquish the fruits of actions is of three types after death, auspicious, inauspicious and mixed. But the fruits of actions of those who relinquish the fruits of actions are none at any time. They become completely liberated.
Chapter 18 Verse 13: O mighty-armed! Properly learn from me these five causes for accomplishment of all the actions mentioned in the Sankhya Shastra which describes the ways of ending the actions.
Chapter 18 Verse 14: Regarding this i.e. in the accomplishment of actions, basis and doer and different–different types of instruments and various types of distinct endeavours and likewise fifth cause is divine gift.
Chapter 18 Verse 15: Whatever action, in accordance with or opposite to scriptures, a man performs by his mind, speech and body – these five are its causes.
Chapter 18 Verse 16: But even on this being the case, a person who because of having impure intellect only considers the soul as the doer in that matter i.e. in the performance of actions, that foolish, ignorant person does not perceive the truth.
Chapter 18 Verse 17: He who does not have this feeling ‘I am the doer’, and whose mind does not get tainted, he, even on killing all these people, neither kills nor becomes bound.
Chapter 18 Verse 18: The knower, knowledge and the knowable – these are three types of impulses to action, and the doer, instrument and the action – these are the three types of basis of action.
Chapter 18 Verse 19: In the scripture which enumerates the gunas, knowledge and action and the doer, each are said to be of three types according to the distinction of the gunas. Listen about them also properly from me.
Chapter 18 Verse 20: The knowledge by which a person sees the aspect of one immortal God situated equally in an undivided manner in all the distinct living beings, know that knowledge to be Satvik.
Chapter 18 Verse 21: But the knowledge which disctinctly perceives the different kinds of diverse natures in all the living beings, know that knowledge to be Rajas.
Chapter 18 Verse 22: But that knowledge which is only engrossed in one implementing body as if it were all and which is irrational without any understanding and reason and is trivial – that is said to be Tamas.
Chapter 18 Verse 23: An action which is scripture-based, free from the pride of doership and is performed without love and hatred by the one who is not desirous of any fruit, that is said to be Satvik.
Chapter 18 Verse 24: But an action which involves a lot of hardwork and is performed by one who is desirous of fruits or is conceited, that action is said to be Rajas.
Chapter 18 Verse 25: An action which without considering the result, loss, violence and capability, is only commenced with ignorance, that action is said to be Tamas.
Chapter 18 Verse 26: A performer of action, free from attachment, who does not say arrogant words, who is endowed with patience and enthusiaism and is free from vices in success and failure of the action, is said to be Satvik.
Chapter 18 Verse 27: A performer of action, endowed with attachment, desirous of the fruits of actions, greedy and having the nature of harming others, corrupt and tainted with joy-sorrow, is said to be Rajas.
Chapter 18 Verse 28: A performer of action, unsteady, temperamental, arrogant, deceitful, who damages others livelihood, and is mourning, lazy, and procrastinating, is said to be Tamas.
Chapter 18 Verse 29: O Dhananjay! Now you hear the three types of distinction of intellect and also steadfastness according to the gunas described completely and separately by me.
Chapter 18 Verse 30: O Paarth! An intellect which clearly knows what to engage in and what to refrain from, what should be done and what should not be done, fear and fearlessness, and bondage and liberation, that intellect is Satvik.
Chapter 18 Verse 31: O Paarth! An intellect by which one does not perfectly know dharm (righteousness) and adharm (unrighteousness) and also what should be done and what should not be done – that intellect is Rajsi.
Chapter 18 Verse 32: O Arjun! An intellect enveloped in Tamogun, which even considers Adharm (unrighteousness) as ‘This is Dharm (righteousness)’, and likewise also believes all the other things to be opposite – that intellect is Tamsi.
Chapter 18 Verse 33: O Paarth! The unwavering steadfastness in one God by which a person assumes the activities of mind, breath and senses through Bhakti-yog –that is Satvik steadfastness.
Chapter 18 Verse 34: But of son of Pritha Arjun! The steadfastness by which a person desirous of fruits adopts dharm (religion/righteousness), wealth and pleasures with strong attachment – that steadfastness is Rajsi.
Chapter 18 Verse 35: O Paarth! Sleep, fear, worry and misery and also intoxication, which a person of mean nature does not give up – that firmness in bhakti/steadfastness is Tamsi.
Chapter 18 Verse 36, 37: O Best of the Bharats! Now you also hear the three types of happiness from me. The bhajan in the practice of which one remains engrossed, and by which one reaches the end of miseries, which is such a happiness that although it seems like poison at the beginning, but in the end is equivalent to nectar, that happiness, arising from the clarity of mind in relation to God is said to be Satvik.
Chapter 18 Verse 38: That happiness which arises from the union of the senses and the sense objects, although at first seems like nectar at the time of experience, is equivalent to poison in the end – that happiness is said to be Rajas.
Chapter 18 Verse 39: The happiness which deludes the soul first at the time of experience and in the end, that happiness arising from sleep, laziness and wrongdoing, is said to be Tamas.
Chapter 18 Verse 40: There is no such living being either on earth or in the sky or among the gods, or anywhere else, who is free from these three gunas born of Prakriti.
Chapter 18 Verse 41: O Parantap! The actions of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras have been divided according to the gunas born of their nature.
Chapter 18 Verse 42: Free from untouchability and accepting joy-sorrow as God’s grace, to repress senses, to bear hardships for conforming to the religious rules, to remain pure internally and externally i.e. to be free from deceit, to forgive offences of others, to keep mind, senses and body simple, to remain devoted to the Supreme God and His Satlok by doing scripture-based bhakti, God’s bhakti is very important, otherwise, a human life is useless – this sort of simple knowledge and who is Purna Parmatma, what is He like, what is the method of attaining Him, this kind of knowledge, and knowing the Tatvagyan of Parmatma and explaining scripture-based sadhna to the other three varnas (castes) only are the actions of a Brahmin knowing his duty in relation to Brahm, which are born of nature because these are natural actions of a devotee in relation to attainment of God.
Chapter 18 Verse 43: Valour, brilliance, steadfastness, cleverness and also not fleeing from battle, to give charity, and interest in Purna Parmatma as the Lord, all these are natural actions of a Kshatriya.
Chapter 18 Verse 44: For farming, protection of cows and for supporting oneself do trade of attainment of God, these are natural actions of a Vaishya, and to serve all the varnas (castes) and to do bhakti of the Supreme God are also natural actions of a Shudra.
Chapter 18 Verse 45: A man intently engaged in his own natural practical actions and acts of true bhakti attains supreme spiritual success. The way by which a man engaged in his natural action attains supreme spiritual success, hear that method from me.
Chapter 18 Verse 46: The God from whom all the living beings have originated and from whom this whole world has pervaded, by worshipping that God through the performance of one’s natural activities i.e. while performing worldly tasks instead of practicing Hathyog, a man attains spiritual success.
Chapter 18 Verse 47: One’s own dharm i.e. religious practice which is in accordance with the injunctions of scriptures is superior to another’s dharm i.e. religious practice which is devoid of any qualities and is arbitrarily performed i.e. is properly performed opposite to the injunctions of scriptures. One does not incur sin while performing one’s natural actions and acts of bhakti of one’s varna/caste i.e. in whatever varna - Kshatriya, Vaishya, Brahmin and Shudra, one is born.
Chapter 18 Verse 48: O son of Kunti! Because of being faulty also, one should not relinquish the scripture-based act of bhakti while doing sahaj yog i.e. performing tasks according to varnas because like fire with smoke, all actions have faults.
Chapter 18 Verse 49: A devout soul with an intellect free from everywhere, free from desires, and who is victorious over wrong deeds, who has renounced all knowledge except Tatvgyan, attains that superior most spiritual success i.e. supreme state which is the complete salvation attained on complete destruction of all the sins. OR A devout soul with an intellect free from everywhere, free from desires, and who is victorious over wrong deeds attains that superior most spiritual success i.e. supreme state which is the complete salvation attained on complete destruction of all the sins through the one who has renounced all knowledge except Tatvgyan.
Chapter 18 Verse 50: That which is the supreme accomplishment of knowledge, that naishkarmyasiddhi attaining which one attains God, O son of Kunti! Understand that from me in brief only.
Chapter 18 Verse 51: Endowed with purity of intellect and through Satvik steadfastness by self-restraining and relinquishing the sound etc defects, and completely destroying love-hatred.
Chapter 18 Verse 52: One who eats and drinks in moderation, escaping from useless talks who loves solitude, who restrains mind, speech and body, constantly devoted to yog of simple meditation, who takes shelter of renunciation
Chapter 18 Verse 53: Abandoning egoism, power, arrogance, lust, anger and collection of more than what is needed, free from affection, a peaceful worshipper is worthy of attaining the Complete God.
Chapter 18 Verse 54: One who has become worthy of attaining God, a yogi with cheerful mind, neither grieves nor desires. With equanimity of mind towards all the living beings, he attains my kind of supreme scripture-based bhakti.
Chapter 18 Verse 55: That bhakt comes to know about me, who and what I am, as it is in essence, and by knowing me in essence by that bhakti soon becomes engrossed in the bhakti of the Complete God.
Chapter 18 Verse 56: A matavlambi i.e. one who is dependent on the scripture-based path directed by me even while performing all the actions, by grace of that opinion (mat’) of mine i.e. by the grace of the complete knowledge of scripture-based sadhna attains the eternal, imperishable state.
Chapter 18 Verse 57: Relinquishing all the actions from mind and resorting to yog of knowledge, based on my opinion, focus your mind constantly in me.
Chapter 18 Verse 58: With your mind focussed in me, by the grace of the scripture-based viewpoint told by me, you will easily cross over all the difficulties and if you will not listen to my words because of egoism, then will be ruined i.e. if you will become deviated from yog (bhakti), then will be ruined.
Chapter 18 Verse 59: If, out of ego, you are thinking this that ‘I willl not fight’, this resolve of yours is false because your Kshatriya nature will compel you to fight.
Chapter 18 Verse 60: O son of Kunti! The action which you do not want to perform out of delusion, you will also do that being overpowered by your previously performed natural Kshatriya deeds to which you are bound.
Chapter 18 Verse 61: O Arjun! Causing all the living beings, mounted on the body-like machine, to revolve according to their deeds by His Maya, the Omniscient God is situated in the heart of all the living beings.
Chapter 18 Verse 62: O Bharat! You, in every respect, go in the refuge of only that Supreme God. By the grace of that Supreme God only, you will attain the supreme peace and the everlasting place (dhaam/lok) i.e. Satlok.
Chapter 18 Verse 63: Thus, I have revealed to you the extremely confidential of the confidential knowledge. Reflecting fully, properly on this mysterious knowledge, do as you wish.
Chapter 18 Verse 64: I will again say the most confidential of all sectrets, my utmost mysterious beneficial words to you, listen to these – this Purna Brahm is my definite revered deity i.e. venerated God.
Chapter 18 Verse 65: Become my devotee based on the opinion with one mind. Worshipping me according to the opinion, bow to me. You will only attain me. I truly promise you; you are very dear to me.
Chapter 18 Verse 66: Relinquishing all my religious practices in me, you go in the refuge of only that one unique i.e. Complete God. I will release you from all the sins. You do not grieve.
Chapter 18 Verse 67: At any time, you should neither say this mysterious instruction of Gita to one devoid of austerities, nor to one devoid of bhakti, nor to one who is unwilling to hear and nor to one who finds faults in me.
Chapter 18 Verse 68: A person who with supreme devotion to me will instruct this utmost mysterious Gita scripture to devotees, he will attain me alone. There is no doubt about it.
Chapter 18 Verse 69: There is no one among men, who does a dearer service to me than he and nor will there be anyone else on the entire Earth dearer to me than he.
Chapter 18 Verse 70: A person who will read our this religious dialogue of Gita scripture, for him also, I will be the revered deity through yagya of knowledge. This is my opinion.
Chapter 18 Verse 71: Even a person who will listen to this Gita scripture with devotion and being free from fault-finding, he, on being liberated, will also attain the superior loks/worlds of those who perform virtuous deeds.
Chapter 18 Verse 72: O Paarth! Did you hear this Gita scripture with attentive mind, and O Dhananjay! Has your delusion, born of ignorance, been destroyed?
Chapter 18 Verse 73: O Achyut! By your grace, my delusion has been destroyed and I have acquired knowledge. I am situated free of doubts, therefore, I will obey your order.
Chapter 18 Verse 74: Thus, I heard this remarkably mysterious, thrilling dialogue of Shri Vasudev and Mahatma Arjun.
Chapter 18 Verse 75: Attaining the divine vision by grace of Shri Vyas Ji, I have directly heard this most confidential yog, being said to Arjun by Yogeshwar God Shri Krishna himself.
Chapter 18 Verse 76: O King! Recalling again and again this mysterious, auspicious and wonderful dialogue between God Shri Krishna and Arjun, I am rejoicing over and over again.
Chapter 18 Verse 77: O King! Also remembering again and again that most extraordinary form of Shri Hari, my mind gets filled with great amazement, and am rejoicing again and again.
Chapter 18 Verse 78: Where there is Yogeshwar God Shri Krishna and where there is Arjun, the wielder of bow Gandeev, there only is prosperity, victory, glory and firm morality. This is my opinion.
