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Those who are deprived of spiritual knowledge by a diversity of desires, adopt divers rites of worship, directed by their own natures, and have recourse to other deities (than me). If any one worshipping with faith, desire to reverence any personage, I make that faith of his constant. Gifted with such faith, he seeks the propitiation of this (personage), and from him receives the pleasant objects of his desires, which were directed by me alone. But the reward of these little-minded men is finite. They who sacrifice to the gods, go to the gods. They who worship me, come to me. The foolish, ignorant of my lofty, incorruptible supreme being, think that I, who am not manifested, am endowed with a manifest form. Surrounded by my magic illusion, I am ndt- manifest to everybody. This deluded world does not comprehend me, who neither am born nor die. I know all beings, past, present, and future, 0 Aijuna I but no one knows me. All beings fall into error as to the nature of the creation, Bharata ! by reason of that delusion of natural opposites which springs from liking and disliking, 0 tormentor of thy foes ! But those men who act uprightly, in whom sin is dead, freed from this delusion of the natural opposites, worship me, firm in. devotion. They who turn to me ajid strive, after liberation from regeneration and death, know that whole supreme spirit, 40 BHAGAVAD-GiTi. CHAPTER THE SEVENTH# and the Adhyatma, and entire action. They who know me to be the Adhibhfita, the Adhidaiva, and the Adhiyajna, and also (know me to be thus), in the hour of death know me indeed.” Thus in the Upanishads, etc., (stands) the Seventh Chapter, by name “devotion through spiritual discernment.” COMMENTARY. REASON. When a man is acquainted with general knowledge, and knowledge of himself, which enables him to know the supreme Soul or God, he has learnt all that is to be learnt on earth. Among thou- sands of men, few strive after knowledge ; among the few who strive after knowledge, scarcely one attains it. God is the Maker and the Destroyer. On Him the universe is suspended as pearls on a string. Those only who have recourse to mo can surmount the illusions of Passion. The ignorant and wicked, inclining towards evil, do not recognize me. Four kinds of men have recourse to mo : the poor, he who wants wisdom, he who wants worldly pleasure and wealth, ho who possesses wisdom. The last is the best, if he do not desert me. I am dear to him beyond wealth who is dear to me ; he, indeed, approaches my essence.' A man who is convinced that wisdom is all, is difficult to find. Those who are without wisdom, through the influence of Passion, have other objects of worship, and another creed, according to the peculiar dispositions of each. These men receive their reward accordingly. Those who sacrifice to Passion become the slaves of Passion ; those, on the contrary, who seek after me, find me. The ignorant imagine that I have some visible and tangible being, but I am not seen of all men ; and deceived by appearances, fools imagine that I am capable of birth and death, like body. Not one knows me fully, though I know all. Men view the creation through the delusive mist of their own vicious affections ; but the wise discard this deceptive veil, and behold me more nearly as I am. CHAPTER THE EIGHTH. TEXT, AJRJUNA SPOKE. “ What is that Supreme Spirit ? What is Adhyatma ? what action ? 0 best of men ! And what is called Adhibhuta ? and what is said to be Adhidaiva ? and how can there be any Adhiyajna here in this body, 0 slayer of Madhu ? And how art thou to be known by the temperate in the hour of death ?” COMMENTARY, MIND. 0 Reason ! what is the Supreme Soul ? what is supreme over the material ? what is supreme over the spiritual world ? what is supreme over esoteric religion ? and how shall you be known at the end ? TEXT. KRISHNA SPOKE. " The supreme universal spirit is the One simple and indivisible, and my own nature is called Adhyatma. the emanation which causes the existence and reproduction of existing things bears the name of Action. Adhibhuta is (my) own indivisible nature, and Adhidaiva is the spiri- tual person. Adhiyajna is myself here upon earth, in the body, 0 best of embodied men ! And he who, remembering me at the moment of death, quits the body and comes forth, enters my nature ; there is no doubt about that. ' Or, again, whatever nature he thinks on when ho abandons the body at the last, to that only does he go, 0 son of Kunti ! having been always conformed to that nature. Therefore think on mo at all times and fight. If thy heart and mind are turned to me, thou wilt doubtless attain to me alone. By thoughts applied to diligent devo- tion, and turned to no other object (than me), meditating on the Supreme 42 BHAGAVAD-gItA. CHAPTER THE EIGHTH. Divine Person, one goes to him, 0 son of Pritha ! He who may medi- tate on the Sage without beginning ; the regulator more minute than an atom ; the sustainer of all of incomprehensible form ; bright as the sun beyond the darkness, at the hour of death ; with steady heart, embued with worship, and by the strength of devotion collecting his breath en- tirely between his eyebrows, — attains that Supreme Divine Person. I will summarily expound to thee that place which those who know the Vedas call the one Indivisible, which those who aro temperate and free from passion enter, and with the desire of which, men follow the life of a Brahmacharl. He who closes all the doors of the senses, restrains his desires within his heart, disposes his breath within his brow, practises perseverance in devotion, utters the monosyllable 1 Om ! ’ (which is) the Supreme Spirit, meditating on me, and thus continues when he is quitting the body, attains the highest walk. I am easy of access to that ever devoted devotee who remembers me, O son of Pritha ! with his thoughts never wandering to any other object. The great-minded, who have recourse to me, reach the highest perfection, and do not incur regeneration, which is the domain of pain, and is not eternal. All worlds, up to that of Brahma, aro subject to return, Arjuna ! But he who comes to me has no regeneration, 0 son of Kunti ! Those men who know the day of Brahma, which ends after a thousand ages, and the night which comes on at the end of those thousand ages, know day and night indeed. At the approach of (that), all (objects of) developed matter come forth from the aon-developed principle. At the approach of (that) night they are absorbed into that (principle) called the non- developed. This collective mass itself of existing things, (thus) existing again and again, is dissolved at the approach of that night. At the approach of (that) day, it emanates spontaneously, 0 son of Pritha ! But there is another invisible eternal existence, superior to this visible one, which does perish when all things perish, called invisible and in- divisible. This they call the highest walk. Those who obtain this never return. This is my supreme abode. But this supreme person, 0 son of Pritha ! within whom all existing things exist, and by whom all this universe is caused to emanate, may be approached by devotion, which is intent on him alone. But I will tell thee, 0 Prince of the Bharatas ! at what time devotees dying obtain freedom from or subjection to (the BHAGAVAD-gM. CHATTER THE EIGHTH. 43 necessity of) return. Fire, day, the increasing moon, six months of the northern solstice ; those who die in this period, and who know the Su- preme Spirit, go to the Supreme Spirit. Again, smoke, night, the waning moon, six months of the southern solstice ; a devotee dying in this period attains only a lunar splendour, and returns. For these two ways of white and black are eternally decreed to the world. By the one a man goes without return, by the other he returns again. No devotee, 0 son of PrithS ! who knows these two paths, is ever confounded. There- fore, at al periods, be devoted to devotion, Arjuna ! A devotee who knows all this, surmounts whatever reward is promised to the study of the Yedas, or the practice of sacrifice, self-torture, and almsgiving, and obtains the highest and best place.” Thus in the Upanishads, etc., (stands) the Eighth Chapter, by name i( DEVOTION TO THE INDIVISIBLE SUPREME SPIRIT.” COMMENTARY. REASON. I am derived from the Supreme Soul, or God. Action is the cause of births and deaths. The supremacy over both the spiritual and mate- rial world depends on me. That which is supreme over esoteric religion is myself personified. He who lives and dies in me shares my nature. There is no doubt about that. A man retains at his death the opinions he held during life. He who meditates with all his strength, and with- out allowing his attention to become distracted, enjoys me. He who is firmly attached to me need have no fear of evil or of suffering. The ignorant die and suffer in this world, but those who follow me are bom again, in their works, and what they have written speaks to posterity; they never die.* * The remaining lines of the text refer to the popular superstitions which are, un- fortunately, common to all creeds, and beneath philosophical notice. CHAPTER THE NINTH. TEXT. KRISHNA SPOKE. “ But now I will declare unto tliee, if thou objcctest not, the most mystic spiritual knowledge coupled with spiritual discernment, having learnt which, thou wilt be liberated from evil. This is a kingly science and a kingly mystery, the most excellent of purifications, clearly com- prehensible, in accordance with law, very easy to carry out, and im- mutable. Men who do not put faith in this religion, 0 harasser of thy foes ! do not attain to me, but return to the path of this world of mor- tality.