The Bhagavad-Gita | Page 6

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any one of these, Ever was not, nor ever will not be, For ever and for ever afterwards. All,
that doth live, lives always! To man's frame As there come infancy and youth and age, So
come there raisings-up and layings-down Of other and of other life-abodes, Which the
wise know, and fear not. This that irks-- Thy sense-life, thrilling to the elements--

Bringing thee heat and cold, sorrows and joys, 'Tis brief and mutable! Bear with it, Prince!
As the wise bear. The soul which is not moved, The soul that with a strong and constant
calm Takes sorrow and takes joy indifferently, Lives in the life undying! That which is
Can never cease to be; that which is not Will not exist. To see this truth of both Is theirs
who part essence from accident, Substance from shadow. Indestructible, Learn thou! the
Life is, spreading life through all; It cannot anywhere, by any means, Be anywise
diminished, stayed, or changed. But for these fleeting frames which it informs With spirit
deathless, endless, infinite, They perish. Let them perish, Prince! and fight! He who shall
say, "Lo! I have slain a man!" He who shall think, "Lo! I am slain!" those both Know
naught! Life cannot slay. Life is not slain! Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease
to be never; Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams! Birthless and
deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit for ever; Death hath not touched it at all,
dead though the house of it seems!
Who knoweth it exhaustless, self-sustained, Immortal, indestructible,--shall such Say, "I
have killed a man, or caused to kill?"
Nay, but as when one layeth His worn-out robes away, And taking new ones, sayeth,
"These will I wear to-day!" So putteth by the spirit Lightly its garb of flesh, And passeth
to inherit A residence afresh.
I say to thee weapons reach not the Life; Flame burns it not, waters cannot o'erwhelm,
Nor dry winds wither it. Impenetrable, Unentered, unassailed, unharmed, untouched,
Immortal, all-arriving, stable, sure, Invisible, ineffable, by word And thought
uncompassed, ever all itself, Thus is the Soul declared! How wilt thou, then,-- Knowing it
so,--grieve when thou shouldst not grieve? How, if thou hearest that the man new-dead Is,
like the man new-born, still living man-- One same, existent Spirit--wilt thou weep? The
end of birth is death; the end of death Is birth: this is ordained! and mournest thou, Chief
of the stalwart arm! for what befalls Which could not otherwise befall? The birth Of
living things comes unperceived; the death Comes unperceived; between them, beings
perceive: What is there sorrowful herein, dear Prince?
Wonderful, wistful, to contemplate! Difficult, doubtful, to speak upon! Strange and great
for tongue to relate, Mystical hearing for every one! Nor wotteth man this, what a marvel
it is, When seeing, and saying, and hearing are done!
This Life within all living things, my Prince! Hides beyond harm; scorn thou to suffer,
then, For that which cannot suffer. Do thy part! Be mindful of thy name, and tremble not!
Nought better can betide a martial soul Than lawful war; happy the warrior To whom
comes joy of battle--comes, as now, Glorious and fair, unsought; opening for him A
gateway unto Heav'n. But, if thou shunn'st This honourable field--a Kshattriya-- If,
knowing thy duty and thy task, thou bidd'st Duty and task go by--that shall be sin! And
those to come shall speak thee infamy From age to age; but infamy is worse For men of
noble blood to bear than death! The chiefs upon their battle-chariots Will deem 'twas fear
that drove thee from the fray. Of those who held thee mighty-souled the scorn Thou must
abide, while all thine enemies Will scatter bitter speech of thee, to mock The valour
which thou hadst; what fate could fall More grievously than this? Either--being killed--

Thou wilt win Swarga's safety, or--alive And victor--thou wilt reign an earthly king.
Therefore, arise, thou Son of Kunti! brace Thine arm for conflict, nerve thy heart to
meet-- As things alike to thee--pleasure or pain, Profit or ruin, victory or defeat: So
minded, gird thee to the fight, for so Thou shalt not sin!
Thus far I speak to thee As from the "Sankhya"--unspiritually-- Hear now the deeper
teaching of the Yog, Which holding, understanding, thou shalt burst Thy Karmabandh,
the bondage of wrought deeds. Here shall no end be hindered, no hope marred, No loss
be feared: faith--yea, a little faith-- Shall save thee from the anguish of thy dread. Here,
Glory of the Kurus! shines one rule-- One steadfast rule--while shifting souls have laws
Many and hard. Specious, but wrongful deem The speech of those ill-taught ones who
extol The letter of their Vedas, saying, "This Is