Arjuna said, O mighty-armed Krishna, I wish to understand the true nature of renunciation (sannyasa) and of renounced order of life (tyaga), and of the duty (karma), O Hrishikesha (Krishna), O killer of the Kesi demon.

The wise understand renunciation to be the giving up of all desires, and the sages describe the relinquishment of the fruits of all actions as renunciation.

Some learned men declare that all kinds of work should be given up as evil, while others assert that acts of sacrifice, charity, and penance should never be abandoned.

Listen to Me again, O best of the Bharatas, about the three kinds of tyaga (renunciation), declared in the scriptures as the giving up of desires, wealth, and actions.

Acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be abandoned, but should be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity, and austerity are the purifiers of wise men.

But, O Arjuna, without attachment and with the fruit also renouncing, every action is to be performed by one who is desirous of knowing Me as the supreme.

The renunciation of prescribed duties is certainly not proper; such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance, Arjuna.

One should abandon, O Arjuna, the desire-driven action, which is fraught with distress, as well as the attachment to its fruits. Such renunciation, performed out of passion, is not worthy of being called true renunciation, and it does not yield the fruits of renunciation.

Whatever action is performed merely as a matter of duty, without attachment to the results, and without desire for rewards, is considered to be in the mode of goodness, O Arjuna.

One who does not hate inauspicious work and who is not attached to auspicious work, his understanding is firmly fixed in transcendental knowledge. Such a person is said to be in the mode of goodness.

For one embodied, it is not possible to renounce all activity. But he who renounces the fruits of actions is said to have truly renounced.

The results of action, either good or bad, mixed, or of three kinds, accrue after death to those who are not renouncers; but never to those who are renouncers.

O mighty-armed Arjuna, understand that these are the five factors that bring about the accomplishment of all actions, as declared in the Sāṅkhya philosophy.

The basis, the doer, various kinds of instruments, different kinds of activities, and ultimately the divine are the five factors of action.

Whatever action a man performs with his body, speech, and mind, whether right (according to dharma) or the reverse (contrary to dharma), these five are its causes.

But those who possess an unrefined intellect and fail to recognize the doer apart from the soul in the body, do not comprehend; they are of perverted intellect.

One whose self is not motivated by egoism, whose intellect is not tainted by attachment, and who performs actions without a sense of doership—such a person does not kill, nor does he become bound by his actions.

The knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the knower are the three factors that motivate action; the senses, the work, and the doer comprise the threefold basis of action.

Knowledge, action, and the doer are declared to be of three kinds according to the distinctions of the modes of material nature. Hear of them as they are.

That knowledge by which one sees the one, imperishable reality within all living beings, undivided amidst the divided, know that knowledge to be in the mode of goodness.

That knowledge by which one sees the one indestructible reality in all beings, undivided among the divided—that knowledge you should understand to be in the mode of passion.

But that action which is performed out of delusion, without consideration of the consequences, loss, or injury, and without considering one's ability to execute it, is said to be in the mode of ignorance.

That action which is regulated, performed without attachment, without love or hatred, and without desire for fruitive results is said to be in the mode of goodness.

But that action which is performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify desires, or which is undertaken with much ostentation, is said to be born of the mode of passion, O Arjuna!

That action which is initiated out of delusion, without considering consequences, loss, harm, and capability, is declared to be tamasic.

The performer who is free from attachment, non-egotistic, endowed with determination and enthusiasm, and unaffected by success or failure is said to be of the mode of goodness.

The performer who is attached to the fruits of his work, who is greedy, and who performs actions impelled by the desire for material gains, is termed to be of the nature of passion, O Arjuna.

The performer who is unsteady, dull, devoid of discrimination, lazy, and who grieves and rejoices too much, is said to have the nature of darkness (tamas).

Now listen, O Arjun, as I explain the three kinds of understanding and determination according to the three modes of material nature.

The intellect which knows the doable and the undoable, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that intellect, O Arjuna, is sattvic.

That understanding which cannot distinguish between Dharma (righteousness) and Adharma (unrighteousness), between what should be done and what should not be done, that intellect, O Arjuna, is considered in the mode of passion.

That intellect which, shrouded in darkness, considers wrong as right and sees all things contrary to their actual nature, O Arjuna, is in the mode of ignorance.

The determination by which one holds fast to one's duty, piety, and yogic practices without wavering, O Arjuna, that determination is said to be of the nature of goodness.

But that determination by which one holds fast to duty, pleasure, and wealth, desiring fruit, O Arjuna, and considering this to be the highest, such determination is in the mode of passion.

That which in dreams is delusion, fear, anxiety, and also intoxication, know thou, Arjuna, as born of the quality of darkness.

Now hear from me, O Arjun, about the threefold happiness, in which one rejoices and attains the end of suffering.

That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness, born of the pure intellect, Arjuna.

That pleasure which arises from the contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar in the beginning, but like poison in the end, is said to be of the nature of passion, Arjuna.

That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is like nectar, and which awakens one to self-realization, is said to be happiness in the mode of ignorance, arising from sleep, laziness, and illusion.

There is no being, whether on earth or among the gods in heaven, that is free from the three gunas born of nature.

O Arjuna, actions are divided according to the qualities which are born of nature in the four social orders.

"Control of the mind, control of the senses, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty; knowledge, wisdom, and faith in the Supreme Being—these qualities arise naturally from one's inherent disposition and are born of one's own nature."

Fearlessness, courage, fortitude, simplicity in the face of battle, generosity, lordliness, these qualities are characteristic of work for the warrior class born of his own nature.

Farming, cow protection, and commerce are the natural duties of the vaishya, and for the shudra, there are duties of service to others.

Engaging in one's own duties, a person attains success. By being dedicated to one's own duties, one achieves success. Listen to how one finds success through dedication to one's duties.

Whereby the activity of all beings is pervaded, and through which all this is pervaded, by worshipping that with one's own duty, man attains perfection.

It is better to perform one's own duties imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations ordained by one's own nature, one does not incur sin.

O son of Kunti, one should not abandon natural duties, even though they are faulty; all undertakings are enveloped by defects, as fire is covered by smoke.

One who is unattached to the fruits of their actions, who is self-controlled and free from desires, attains the supreme perfection of renunciation through renunciation itself.

O son of Kunti, one who has attained perfection (siddhi) in knowledge (jñāna) realizes Brahman and thus attains the highest devotion (niṣṭhā) to knowledge—please understand this concisely.

Endowed with a purified intellect, controlling the mind with determination, and relinquishing objects of the senses such as sound and taste, and freeing from attachment and hatred.

He who lives in solitude, eats lightly, controls his speech, body, and mind, engages in constant meditation and is detached, and takes refuge in detachment, is assured of liberation.

Being freed from egotism, force, arrogance, desire, anger, and the tendency to criticize, being free from possessiveness and peaceful, one becomes fit for attaining oneness with the Absolute, O Arjuna!

The one who is in the state of realization of the Brahman (the Supreme), whose soul is content and free from lamentation and desire, who remains equal-minded towards all beings, attains the highest devotion to Me.

"By devotion, one truly understands Me, what and who I am. Then, having known Me in truth, they enter into Me immediately after leaving the body."

Even while performing all duties, taking refuge in Me, one who depends upon Me, by My grace, obtains the eternal, imperishable abode.

With your mind intent on Me, surrender all your actions to Me, have Me as your supreme goal, and with your intellect fixed on Me, you will live in Me alone, Arjuna.

"By fixing your mind on Me, you will overcome all obstacles by My grace. But if you do not heed My words due to ego, you shall be lost."

If you, relying on your egoism, think: "I will not fight," your resolve is in vain. Your own nature will compel you.

O son of Kunti, bound by your own innate nature and activity, which arises from delusion, you are powerless to refrain from doing what you have resolved to do, even against your will.

The Supreme Lord resides in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, and by His divine potency, He directs the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

O Arjuna, surrender exclusively unto Him with all your being. By His grace, you will attain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

Thus, I have explained to you this knowledge that is more secret than all secrets. Ponder over it deeply, and then do as you wish.

Hear My supreme teaching, the most confidential knowledge of all, because you are very dear to Me, and it is for your benefit that I am speaking to you.

Think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer obeisance to Me. Doing so, you will come to Me alone, I truly promise you, for you are exceptionally dear to Me.

Abandoning all forms of religion, surrender unto Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.

This instruction should never be explained to those who are not austere, to those who are not devoted, to those who are not engaged in devotional service, or to one who is envious of Me.

He who reveals the supreme secret to My devotees, performing devotion to Me, will undoubtedly come to Me.

Among humans, no one is most dear to me than him, nor shall ever be anyone so dear to me as he in this world.

And I think that those who study this sacred conversation between us, worshipping Me with their intelligence, are rendering devotional service to Me.

That person, who listens with faith and without envy, becomes free and achieves auspicious worlds attained by virtuous actions.

Have you heard this with an attentive mind, O Arjuna? Has your ignorance and delusion been dispelled, O Arjuna?

My delusion is destroyed, and I have gained knowledge through Your grace, O Krishna. I am now firm and free from doubt, and I will act according to Your instructions.

Thus, I have heard this wonderful and thrilling dialogue between Vasudeva (Krishna) and the great-souled Partha (Arjuna), causing my hair to stand on end.

By the grace of Vyasa, I have heard this supreme and most confidential yoga directly from Krishna, the master of all mysticism, who himself spoke it to Arjuna.

Remembering this wonderful dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I am filled with joy again and again.

Remembering again and again that wonderful form of Hari, with great wonder, O King, I am struck with amazement again and again.

Wherever there is Lord Krishna, the master of yoga, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also undoubtedly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and moral values. This is my opinion.