"O Krishna, with my heart confounded by weakness and doubt, I ask you to tell me conclusively what is best for me. Please advise me, your disciple, who is surrendered unto you."

You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet speak wise words; wise men do not grieve for the dead or the living.

Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

As the boyhood, youth, and old age come to the embodied soul in this body, similarly, the soul attains another body; the wise man is not deluded by this.

O son of Kunti (Arjun), the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. They are temporary and come and go. Bear them patiently, O Arjuna.

The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be; the truth about both has been realized by the seers of truth.

For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

As a person discards old clothes for new ones, similarly, the soul discards old bodies to take up new ones.

Weapons cannot cut the soul; Fire cannot burn it; Water cannot wet it; Wind cannot dry it.

For one who has been born, death is certain, and for one who has died, birth is certain.
Therefore, in an inevitable situation, you should not grieve.

The embodied soul is eternal, indestructible, and immeasurable, O Arjuna. Therefore, you should not grieve for any creature.

There is no loss of effort in this world, and no harm can come from following the right path. Even a little effort made on this path can protect you from great danger.

O Arjuna, intellect is one-pointed for those who are steadfast in their determination, but for the irresolute, the intellect is many-branched and endless.

For those whose minds are attached to the pleasures and powers of the world, such resolute determination does not arise.

O Arjuna, the Vedas discuss the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, free yourself from duality, and remain steady in your true self, detached from material possessions.

Just as a well filled with water serves all purposes, similarly, a person who truly understands the essence of all knowledge mentioned in the Vedas is like a wise scholar.

You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.

Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.

When a person abstains from eating, their senses withdraw from the objects of enjoyment, leaving behind the taste. But even the taste ceases for one who has realized the Supreme.

When a person dwells on objects, an attachment to them arises. From attachment arises desire, and from desire, anger is born.

From anger comes delusion; from delusion, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, the loss of reason; from the loss of reason, one goes to complete ruin.

But a person who acts with control over their emotions, free from attachment and aversion, and with their senses under control, attains serenity.

That which is night for all beings, the self-controlled one is awake in that. Where all beings are awake, that is the night for the seer.

Work binds the world unless it is done for the sake of sacrifice. So, perform your duty without attachment, O son of Kunti, and with a spirit of devotion.

All living beings arise from food, and food arises from rain. Rain arises from sacrifice, and sacrifice arises from action.

Therefore, always perform your duty efficiently and without attachment. By doing work without attachment, one attains the Supreme.

Whatever actions a great person performs, common people follow. Whatever standard they set, others follow that too.

All actions are performed by the qualities of nature. But one who is deluded by the ego thinks, "I am the doer."

It is better to die in one’s own duty; the duty of another is fraught with fear.

Lust and anger, born of the quality of passion, are insatiable and sinful. They are the enemies in this world.

I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshvaku.

This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time, the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.

Today I've revealed this ancient yoga to you, Because you are my devotee and friend, it's true;
This secret is indeed supreme and sublime, Know it well, O dear friend of mine ||

Although I am unborn and my transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in my original transcendental form.

Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest Myself.

To deliver the righteous, to destroy the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma, I appear age after age.

One who knows the divine nature of My birth and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

Being freed from attachment, fear, and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me - and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.

As people surrender unto me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows my path in all respects, O son of Pritha.

The four varnas were created by Me based on people's qualities and actions. Although I am the creator of this system, know me to be the non-doer and eternal.

Learn about this by humble reverence, by inquiry, and by service. The wise, who have realized the Truth, will impart wisdom to you.

There is no purifier in this world equal to knowledge. A person who has attained perfection in yoga finds it within oneself in due course of time.

But for those whose ignorance has been destroyed by knowledge of the Self, that knowledge reveals the Supreme like the sun, which illumines everything.

The wise see with equal vision a learned and humble brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even an outcaste.

Pleasures born of contact with the senses are sources of suffering, they have a beginning and an end, O son of Kunti. The wise do not delight in them.

Knowing Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all worlds, and the friend of all living beings, one attains peace.

Let a man lift himself by himself; let him not degrade himself; for the self alone is the friend of oneself, and the self alone is the enemy of oneself.

He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation, and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

He should know this to be the true yoga which severs the connection with sorrow. For his mind is undisturbed, this (yoga) is to be known with certainty; this (yoga) is to be practiced with determination and with a mind un-dejected.

Attaining the worlds of the righteous and dwelling there for countless years, one who falls from yoga is born into a family of the pure and prosperous.

Or he takes birth in the family of the wise yogis. Indeed, such a birth is very difficult to obtain in this world.

Greater than the ascetic is the yogi; greater than the intellectual is the yogi; greater than the worker is the yogi; therefore, be a yogi, O Arjun!

Of all yogis, the one with great faith who fully surrenders unto Me, I consider to be the most devout.

Out of thousands among men, only a rare one endeavours for perfection. Even of the perfected ones who are diligent, one perchance knows Me in truth.

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego—these eight constitute My separated material energies.

Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjun, there is a superior energy of Mine which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of the material, inferior nature.

O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), there is nothing superior to Me. All this universe is strung on Me, like jewels on a thread.

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

Those of wicked deeds, the ignorant, the lowest of men, do not turn to me; they whose wisdom is stolen away by illusion, embodying a demonic nature.

Four kinds of pious people worship Me, O Arjun—the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise.

After many births and deaths, the one who is wise surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

I am not visible to everyone, veiled by the divine illusion. This deluded world does not recognize Me, the unborn and imperishable.

I know all beings, past, present, and future, Arjuna; but no one knows Me.

O Bharata, the delusion arising from desire and hate is the reason behind the perception of duality in this world. This delusion veils the true nature of all beings, causing them to wander in the cycle of birth and death

Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.

And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail, O son of Kunti, because of his constant concentration upon it.

Therefore, at all times, remember Me and fight. With your mind and intellect absorbed in Me, you will surely come to Me.

For one who remembers Me constantly, who is always absorbed in thoughts of Me, I am easy to obtain, O Arjuna, because he is always engaged in devotional service.

Upon attaining Me, those who reach the eternal abode, the impermanent abode of misery, do not take birth again. They attain the highest perfection.

Arjuna, all worlds, up to the world of Brahma, are subject to return again, but, after attaining to Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

Whatever results are declared in the Vedas, in sacrifices, in austerities, and also in acts of charity—know that the yogi transcends all of these, having understood them. Such a yogi attains the supreme eternal abode.

This is the king of knowledge, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.

Under My supervision, nature gives birth to both moving and non-moving beings. This is the reason why the universe revolves.

Fools disregard Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all beings.

People who lack clear goals, waste their efforts, and have wrong ideas are confused. They are like demons, having confused thoughts and actions. They are trapped in a web of delusion.

O Partha, the great souls, who have taken shelter in My divine nature, worship Me with unwavering devotion, knowing Me to be the imperishable source of beings.

Those who constantly praise Me, striving with firm resolve, bowing down to Me, and ever devoted, worship Me with love.

But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them, I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.

Those who worship the gods will go to the gods; those who worship the ancestors will join them; those who worship ghosts and spirits will be with them; and those who worship Me will live with Me.

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever charity you give, whatever austerities you perform—do all that as an offering unto Me.

I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone; I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to them.

Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if they are devoted to Me without deviation, they are to be considered saintly because of their determination in following the path.

O Arjun, even those who may be born of sinful wombs—women, vaishyas, and also shudras—attain the supreme destination by taking refuge in Me.

Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

With their minds fixed on Me, their lives devoted to Me, enlightening one another and talking about Me constantly, they derive satisfaction and joy.

To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

For their welfare, I, residing within their hearts, dispel the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.

Whatever glorious, powerful, or extraordinary you see in this world, know it to be a manifestation of a fraction of My divine splendor.

By undivided devotion, I am easily obtainable, O Arjuna, by that form of Mine which you have seen. This form of Mine can be understood and seen in truth, O mighty-armed one.

He who performs his duty without attachment, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, and who is devoid of enmity toward all beings, that person comes to Me, O Arjuna!

For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, the path of realization is full of tribulations. Worship of the unmanifested is exceedingly difficult for embodied beings.

Place your mind in me alone, place your intellect in me, and then you will indeed live in me alone. There is no doubt about it.

If you cannot steady your mind steadily upon Me, then seek to attain Me through the yoga of practice, O Arjuna.

Even if you are unable to practice the discipline of devotion with consistency, become wholly committed to performing actions for My sake. In doing so, you shall attain success.

He by whom the world is not agitated and who cannot be agitated by the world, who is freed from joy, envy, fear, and anxiety, he is dear to Me.

And one who serves Me with unwavering devotion transcends these qualities and becomes fit for realization of the Supreme.

I am the basis of the eternal, imperishable, and immutable Brahman, of eternal righteousness, and of unending joy.

Those who are free from pride and delusion, who have conquered the evils of attachment, who are constantly dwelling in the Self, and are free from desires, fear, and anger; such wise beings, being freed from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, attain that eternal, imperishable abode.

That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.

The eternal fragment of Myself in the living entities of this world becomes the living soul, and it draws the mind and senses, which are seated in nature.

"I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known; indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."

He who, undeluded, thus knows Me, the Supreme Divine Personality, worships Me with all his being, O Arjuna.

"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."

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.

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."

"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."

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.

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.

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.

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.