Arjuna said: O almighty Lord, slayer of the demon Kesi, I wish to understand the subject of renunciation (sannyas) and detachment (tyaga), separately.

The Supreme Lord said: Learned, enlightened persons know the giving up of fruitive action as renunciation, and the giving up of the fruits of all action as detachment.

Some philosophers hold that action should be renounced as imperfect. Others hold that action of the nature of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be given up.

O best of the Bharatas, hear My perfect conclusion concerning detachment, the quality of renunciation, since, O best of men, it has been clearly established that the quality of renunciation is of three types.

Actions of the nature of sacrifice, charity, and austerity should never be abandoned. They must be performed for they are the purifiers of the wise.

But even these actions must be performed abandoning attachment and fruitive desire. O Partha, know this to be My perfect, supreme conclusion.

Renunciation of one’s obligatory duties is wrong. The delusion of giving up these duties is called false renunciation, or renunciation of the nature of ignorance.

One who abandons his obligatory duties out of fear of physical discomfort, considering them troublesome, performs renunciation of the nature of passion. Thus, he does not attain the fruit of true detachment.

O Arjuna, performance of obligatory works as a matter of duty while abandoning attachment and fruitive desire, is renunciation of the nature of goodness. This is My opinion.

The wise renunciate who is absorbed in the nature of goodness, and who has slashed all doubts, neither resents disagreeable duties nor is attached to agreeable works.

It is not possible for the embodied soul to fully renounce actions. However, one who renounces the fruits of his actions is a true renunciate.

After death, the three kinds of fruits of actions — good, bad, and mixed — accrue to those who have worldly desires, but never to those who are renounced.

O mighty hero, know from Me of the five causes of the accomplishment of all actions as described in the conclusive teachings of the scripture known as Sankhya or Vedanta:

(All actions are accomplished by these five causes:) The body, the performer(ego, a knot of spirit and matter), the instrument(the senses), the various endeavours, and the Divine (the Supersoul).

Whether lawful of unlawful, whatever action a man performs with his body, mind, or speech, is caused by these five elements.

But an ignorant person who sees only himself as the doer does not actually see, due to his impure intelligence.

He who is free from egoism (aversion to the Absolute), and whose intelligence is not implicated in worldly action — even if he kills the entire world, he neither kills nor is he bound by action.

These three are the driving force of action: knowledge, the knowable, and the knower. These three are the constitution of action — the instrument, the action, and the performer.

In the Sankhya scripture, knowledge, action, and the performer have each been classified according to the three modes of material nature. Now hear of these from Me:

That knowledge by which the one imperishable and undivided principle (My superior divine potency) is seen to be present in all the diverse living beings is to be known as knowledge of the nature of goodness.

That knowledge in which one experiences in the plane of living beings many separate (independent) entities engaged in many separate (clashing) pursuits is to be known as knowledge of the nature of passion.

And that ideology which is stubbornly attached to the peripheral only, considering it to be all-in-all, without spiritual or scriptural conception, without seeking the truth, and based on trivialities alone, is said to be knowledge of the (animalistic) nature of ignorance.

That obligatory action which is faithfully executed without attachment by a person who does not seek its rewards and who is unbiased by likes and dislikes, is said to be action of the nature of goodness.

And that action which is per- formed with great endeavour by an ego- tistic person desiring its fruits, is said to be action of the nature of passion.

And that work which is undertaken out of delusion, without consideration for its consequences, its loss, harm to others, and one’s capability of performing it, is called action of the nature of ignorance.

The worker who is unattached, without ego, patient, enthusiastic, and unaffected in success or failure, is known as a worker of the nature of goodness.

The worker who is attached, desirous of the fruits of action, covetous, cruel, engaged in abominable practices not sanctioned by the scriptures, and always subject to joy and sorrow, is known as a worker of the nature of passion.

The worker who is uncontrolled, vulgar, arrogant, deceitful, offensive, lazy, despondent, and a procrastinator is known as a worker of the nature of ignorance.

O Dhananjaya, now listen attentively. I shall clearly describe the three types of intelligence and determination, according to the modes of nature:

O Partha, intelligence of the nature of goodness is that which can distinguish (virtuous) engagement and abstinence (from vice), duty and non-duty, danger and safety, and bondage and liberation.

O Partha, intelligence of the nature of passion is that which causes an erroneous perception of religion, irreligion, duty, and non-duty.

Intelligence of the nature of ignorance is covered by illusion, whereby vice is considered virtue, and everything is taken to be the opposite of the reality.

O Partha, determination of the nature of goodness is that determination which unfailingly and with single-minded concentration controls the functions of the mind, the life-airs, and the senses.

O Partha, O Arjuna, determination of the nature of passion is that fruitive, attached determination which adheres to religiosity for the purpose of amassing wealth to fulfill mundane desires.

Determination of the nature of ignorance is that by which a foolish person does not give up sleep, fear, sorrow, depression, and arrogance.

O Bharatarsabha, now hear from Me about the three kinds of happiness. That state in which one is joyful through his practices while attaining the cessation of all unhappiness, and which in the beginning is like poison but ultimately like nectar, and which is born of the purity of self-realisation — that happiness is said to be of the nature of goodness.

That happiness which is born of the contact of the senses with their objects, and which is like nectar in the beginning but poison in the end, is said to be happiness of the nature of passion.

That happiness which is self-deception from beginning to end, and which arises from sleep, laziness, and illusion, is called happiness of the nature of ignorance.

Amongst all species on earth including the humans or amongst even the celestial gods in the heavenly plane, there is no entity that can be free from these three modes which are born of material nature.

O Parantapa, according to their natures, the duties of the brahmans, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras are appropriately classified.

Internal and external sense- control, austerity, purity, forbearance, straightforwardness, knowledge, realisation, and theistic mentality — these are the natural duties of the brahmans.

Prowess, valour, endurance, dexterity, never retreating in battle, generosity, and regality — these are the characteristic duties of the ksatriyas.

Agriculture, cow protection, and trade are the natural work of the vaisyas; and natural to the sudras is service to the brahmans, ksatriyas, and vaisyas (assisting them in their various works).

One who devotes himself to his own duty attains perfection in self-knowledge. Now hear from Me how a person attains perfection through devotion to his own duty.

A man achieves perfection by worshipping, through his prescribed duties, the Supreme Lord from whom all beings originate, by whom all beings are engaged, and who (individually and collectively) pervades the entire universe.

One’s own duty, though imperfect, is better than another’s executed well. Sin is never incurred by a man fullfilling the duty prescribed according to his nature.

O Kaunteya, even though it may be imperfect, one should not give up the duty prescribed according to his nature. Verily, all action is covered by imperfection, as fire is covered by smoke.

One who has the wisdom of detachment from all mundane objects, who is self-controlled, and whose desires have gone — such a person attains the perfection of transcending all duties in the world by renouncing the fruits of his actions.

O Kaunteya, now know from Me in brief how the person who has attained transcendence of all duties reaches the transcendental plane of the Absolute, the ultimate state of knowledge (spiritual awakening).

Endowed with intelligence of the nature of goodness, mentally controlled through determination of the nature of goodness, rejecting the sense objects of sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, abandoning attachment and aversion, free from the association of materialistic persons, a temperate eater, disciplining the body, mind, and speech, constantly absorbed in thought of the Supreme Lord, and fully detached from the mundane world; giving up ego, power, vanity, desire, anger, and possessiveness, not thinking of anything as ‘mine’; being at peace — such a person is qualified for spiritual realisation.

The joyful-hearted, enlightened soul who has attained his divine nature neither sorrows nor desires. Seeing all beings equally, he comes to attain transcendental loving devotion to Me.

Through devotion, he realises that I am the Lord of all potencies and the Sweet Absolute. Then, realising his divine relationship with Me, he enters the company of My intimate associates who are non-different from My very self.

Although ever active in all duties, those who have taken refuge in Me attain, by My grace, the eternal, indestructable plane.

Whole-heartedly offering your every action to Me, keeping Me as the supreme objective and fully dedicating your intelligence to Me, being unattached to worldly action, be ever devoted to Me.

Giving your heart to Me, you will be able to overcome all obstacles by My grace. But if out of pride you do not heed My words, you will perish.

Out of pride you are thinking, «I shall not fight.» But your decision will be in vain, for your nature (as a ksatriya) will compel you to fight.

O Kaunteya, being bound by the duty born of your nature, that very action which out of delusion you are now avoiding will be inevitably executed by you.

O Arjuna, the Supreme Lord is situated in the hearts of all beings, and by His deluding potency He causes them to revolve (through many existences) like puppets riding a carousel.

O Bharat, wholeheartedly surrender to Him. By His grace you will attain the supreme peace and the eternal abode.

I have now revealed more and more profound teachings to you. Duly consider this, and then do as you wish.

Now again hear My supreme teaching, the most hidden treasure of all. I tell you this for your benefit as you are most dear to Me.

Think of Me always, devote yourself to Me, worship Me, and bow to Me, and surely you will come to Me. I promise you this, because you are dear to Me.

Give up all kinds of religion and surrender to Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins. Do not despair.

You should never disclose this hidden treasure to one devoid of self-sacrifice, to the non-devotee, to the faithless, to one who is averse to My service, or to one who is resentful towards Me.

One who reveals the glories of this supreme secret to My devotees will attain transcendental devotion to Me and reach Me without a doubt.

In the entire human society there is no one who pleases Me by his actions more than he (who preaches the glories of the Bhagavad-gita), nor will there ever be anyone in the world dearer to Me than he.

And one who studies with devotion this holy conversation of ours will worship Me by the ‘knowledge-sacrifice’. This is My conclusion.

Simply by hearing this with an open heart, a faithful person is liberated and attains to the auspicious abodes of the virtuous souls.

O Partha, have you listened to this with your undivided attention? O Dhananjaya, are you now free from the darkness of your delusion?

Arjuna said: O infallible one, by Your grace my delusion is now gone, I can now remember who I am, my doubts are destroyed, and I am firm in my resolve. I shall follow Your instructions.

Sanjaya said: Thus, I heard this wondrous conversation of the Supreme Soul Vasudev and the son of Pritha, Arjuna, which arouses ecstasy in the hearts of all.

By the mercy of Sri Vyasadev I heard this supreme secret teaching of yoga, sung directly by the Supreme Lord of yoga, Lord Sri Krishna Himself.

O King, ever remembering this miraculous, sacred conversation of Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna, my heart thrills over and over again.

And remembering, O King, I marvel at that astonishing, almighty universal form of the Supreme Lord Hari, and my whole being thrills with ecstasy.

Where there is Yogesvar Krishna, and where there is Arjuna, the winner of wealth with bow in hand, there prevails fortune, victory, prosperity, and virtue. This is my opinion.