Chapter 2 - Sānkhya Yog

Shloka स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि | धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ||२-३१|| Transliteration svadharmamapi cāvekṣya na vikampitumarhasi . dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo.anyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate ||2-31|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.31. Further, considering your own duty, you should not waver. Indeed, for a Ksatriya there exists no duty superior to fighting a righteous war. Shri Purohit Swami 2.31 Thou must look at thy duty. Nothing can be more welcome to a soldier than a righteous war. Therefore to waver in this resolve is unworthy, O Arjuna!...

Shloka यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् | सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम् ||२-३२|| Transliteration yadṛcchayā copapannaṃ svargadvāramapāvṛtam . sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddhamīdṛśam ||2-32|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.32. O son of Prtha ! By good fortune, Ksatriyas, desirous of happiness, get a war of this type [to fight], which has come on its own accord and which is an open door to the heaven. Shri Purohit Swami 2.32 Blessed are the soldiers who find their opportunity....

Shloka अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि | ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ||२-३३|| Transliteration atha cettvamimaṃ dharmyaṃ saṃgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi . tataḥ svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpamavāpsyasi ||2-33|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.33. On the other hand, if you will not fight this righteous war then you shall incur the sin by avoiding your own duty and fame. Shri Purohit Swami 2.33 Refuse to fight in this righteous cause, and thou wilt be a traitor, lost to fame, incurring only sin....

Shloka अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् | सम्भावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते ||२-३४|| Transliteration akīrtiṃ cāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣyanti te.avyayām . sambhāvitasya cākīrtirmaraṇādatiricyate ||2-34|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.34. The creatures will speak of your endless ill-fame; and for the one who has been highly esteemed the illfame is worse than death. Shri Purohit Swami 2.34 Men will talk forever of thy disgrace; and to the noble, dishonour is worse than death. Sri Abhinav Gupta 2.34 See Comment under 2....

Shloka भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः | येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ||२-३५|| Transliteration bhayādraṇāduparataṃ maṃsyante tvāṃ mahārathāḥ . yeṣāṃ ca tvaṃ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam ||2-35|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.35. The mighty charioteers will think of you as having withdrawn from the battle out of fear : having been highly regarded by these men, you shall be viewed lightly. Shri Purohit Swami 2.35 Great generals will think that thou hast fled from the battlefield through cowardice; though once honoured thou wilt seem despicable....

Shloka अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः | निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ||२-३६|| Transliteration avācyavādāṃśca bahūnvadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ . nindantastava sāmarthyaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim ||2-36|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.36. Slandering your ability, the enemies will talk of you many sayings that should not be talked of. Is there anything more painful than that ? Shri Purohit Swami 2.36 Thine enemies will spread scandal and mock at thy courage. Can anything be more humiliating?...

Shloka हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् | तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः ||२-३७|| Transliteration hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṃ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm . tasmāduttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ ||2-37|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.37. If you are slain you shall attain heaven; or if you coner, you shall enjoy the earth. Therefore, O son of Kunti ! stand up with resolution made in favour of [fighting] the battle. Shri Purohit Swami 2....

Shloka सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ | ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ||२-३८|| Transliteration sukhaduḥkhe same kṛtvā lābhālābhau jayājayau . tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṃ pāpamavāpsyasi ||2-38|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.38. Viewing alike, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, you should get then ready for the battle. Thus you will not incur sin. Shri Purohit Swami 2.38 Look upon pleasure and pain, victory and defeat, with an equal eye. Make ready for the combat, and thou shalt commit no sin....

Shloka एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु | बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ||२-३९|| Transliteration eṣā te.abhihitā sāṅkhye buddhiryoge tvimāṃ śṛṇu . buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṃ prahāsyasi ||2-39|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.39. Listen, how this knowledge, imparted [to you] for your sankhya, is [also] for the Yoga; endowed with which knowledge you shall cast off the bondage of action, O son of Prtha ! Shri Purohit Swami 2.39 I have told thee the philosophy of Knowledge....

Shloka नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते | स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् ||२-४०|| Transliteration nehābhikramanāśo.asti pratyavāyo na vidyate . svalpamapyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt ||2-40|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.40. Here there is no loss due to transgression, and there exists no contrary downward course (sin); even a little of this righteous thing saves [one] from great danger. Shri Purohit Swami 2.40 On this Path, endeavour is never wasted, nor can it ever be repressed....

Shloka व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन | बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ||२-४१|| Transliteration vyavasāyātmikā buddhirekeha kurunandana . bahuśākhā hyanantāśca buddhayo.avyavasāyinām ||2-41|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.41. O source of joy to the Kurus ! The knowledge in the form of determination is just one; [but] the knowledge (thoughts) of those who do not have determination, has many branches and has no end. Shri Purohit Swami 2.41 By its means, the straying intellect becomes steadied in the contemplation of one object only; whereas the minds of the irresolute stray into bypaths innumerable....

Shloka यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चितः | वेदवादरताः पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिनः ||२-४२|| Transliteration yāmimāṃ puṣpitāṃ vācaṃ pravadantyavipaścitaḥ . vedavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyadastīti vādinaḥ ||2-42|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.42. - 2.43. O son of Prtha ! Those, whose very nature is desire, whose goal is heaven, who esteem only the Vedic declaration [of fruits], who declare that there is nothing else, who proclaim this flowery speech about the paths to the lordship of the objects of enjoyment-[the paths] that are full of different actionsand who desire action alone as a fruit of their birth-they are men without insight....

Shloka कामात्मानः स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् | क्रियाविशेषबहुलां भोगैश्वर्यगतिं प्रति ||२-४३|| Transliteration kāmātmānaḥ svargaparā janmakarmaphalapradām . kriyāviśeṣabahulāṃ bhogaiśvaryagatiṃ prati ||2-43|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.42. - 2.43. O son of Prtha ! Those, whose very nature is desire, whose goal is heaven, who esteem only the Vedic declaration [of fruits], who declare that there is nothing else, who proclaim this flowery speech about the paths to the lordship of the objects of enjoyment-[the paths] that are full of different actionsand who desire action alone as a fruit of their birth-they are men without insight....

Shloka भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् | व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ||२-४४|| Transliteration bhogaiśvaryaprasaktānāṃ tayāpahṛtacetasām . vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate ||2-44|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.44. Those, who are very much attached to the ownership of enjoyable objects and whose minds have been carried away by that (flowery speech)-their knowledge, in the form of determination is not prescribed for concentration. Shri Purohit Swami 2.44 While their minds are absorbed with ideas of power and personal enjoyment, they cannot concentrate their discrimination on one point....

Shloka त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन | निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ||२-४५|| Transliteration traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna . nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān ||2-45|| Translations Dr.S.Sankaranarayan 2.45. The Vedas bind by means of the three Strands. [Hence] O Arjuna, you must be free from the three Strands, free from the pairs [of opposites]; be established in this eternal Being; be free from [the idea of] acisition and preservation; and be possessed of the Self....