2.1 Sanjaya said: To him, thus overcome with pity, his eyes filled with tears and troubled, Krishna, the slayer of Madhu, spoke these words.

2.2 Krishna, the messenger, conveyed the word of God: Whence has this weakness come upon you in this hour of trial, O Arjuna? It is unworthy of a noble man; it does not lead to the Garden, and it brings disgrace.

2.3 Do not yield to unmanliness, O son of Pritha; it does not become you. Cast off this petty faintness of heart and arise, O scorcher of foes.

2.4 Arjuna said: How shall I fight Bhishma and Drona with arrows in battle, O Madhusudana — they who are worthy of reverence?

2.5 Better it is to live in this world even by begging than to slay these honoured teachers; for by slaying them, even though they seek gain, I would enjoy here only pleasures stained with blood.

2.6 Nor do we know which is better for us — that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. The very sons of Dhritarashtra stand before us, after slaying whom we would not wish to live.

2.7 My nature is overcome by the fault of weak pity, my mind is confused about my duty. I ask you: tell me with certainty what is best for me. I am your disciple; guide me, who have come to you for refuge, with the guidance of God.

2.8 For I see nothing that could drive away this grief that dries up my senses, even if I were to gain an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth, or even dominion over the powers of heaven.

2.9 Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, Arjuna, the scorcher of foes, said to Govinda, "I will not fight," and fell silent.

2.10 Then, O descendant of Bharata, between the two armies, Hrishikesha, as if smiling, spoke these words to the grief-stricken one.

2.11 The messenger Krishna said, reciting God's word: You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, and yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.

2.12 Never was there a time when you, or these kings, did not exist in God's knowledge and decree; nor shall any of us cease to exist hereafter, for every soul returns to its Lord.

2.13 As the embodied soul passes in this body through childhood, youth and old age, so too it passes at death to another state; the steadfast are not bewildered by this.

2.14 Contacts of the senses with their objects, O son of Kunti, bring cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they come and go and are not lasting. Bear them patiently, O Bharata.

2.15 The man whom these do not disturb, O best of men, who is the same in pain and pleasure, steadfast — he is fit for everlasting life.

2.16 The unreal has no being; the Real never ceases to be. The truth about both has been seen by those who see the essence of things.

2.17 Know that the One by whom all this is sustained is imperishable; none can bring about the destruction of the Everlasting.

2.18 These bodies of the embodied soul, which endures and cannot be destroyed by men, are said to come to an end. Therefore fight, O Bharata.

2.19 He who thinks the soul a slayer, and he who thinks it slain — neither understands. It neither slays nor is slain by any weapon of man.

2.20 The soul is not ended when the body dies; it does not perish with the body when the body is slain, but returns to God who created it, to await the Day of Resurrection.

2.21 He who knows the soul to be enduring and destined for its Lord — how can such a man, O son of Pritha, cause anyone to be slain, or slay, of his own will rather than by duty under God?

2.22 As a man casts off worn-out garments, so the soul casts off the worn-out body at death, until God raises it again on the Day of Rising.

2.23 Weapons do not cut it, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and wind does not dry it.

2.24 It cannot be cut, burned, wetted or dried; it remains, by God's will, until it stands before Him.

2.25 It is said to be unseen, beyond thought, beyond change. Knowing it to be such, you should not grieve.

2.26 And even if you think that the body and soul are born and die together, even then, O mighty-armed, you should not grieve.

2.27 For certain is death for the born, and certain is the raising of the dead by God; therefore over the inevitable you should not grieve.

2.28 Beings are unseen in their beginning, seen in their middle state, and unseen again at their end, O Bharata; and all return to God. What is there to lament?

2.29 Some look upon the soul as a marvel; others speak of it as a marvel; others hear of it as a marvel; yet even after hearing, none truly knows it, for knowledge of the soul is with God alone.

2.30 The soul that dwells in every body, O Bharata, cannot be slain by man; therefore you should not grieve for any creature.

2.31 Considering also your own duty, you should not waver; for to one of a warrior's calling there is nothing better than a righteous war.

2.32 Happy are the warriors, O son of Pritha, to whom such a battle comes unsought — an open gate to the Garden.

2.33 But if you will not fight this righteous battle, then, forsaking your duty and your honour, you will incur sin.

2.34 People will speak of your dishonour for ever; and for one who has been honoured, dishonour is worse than death.

2.35 The great chariot-warriors will think you withdrew from battle through fear; and you will be held lightly by those who once esteemed you highly.

2.36 Your enemies will say many unspeakable things, scorning your strength. What could be more painful than that?

2.37 If you are slain, you will attain the Garden; if you conquer, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore arise, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight.

2.38 Treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, gird yourself for battle; thus you will not incur sin.

2.39 This wisdom has been declared to you in terms of understanding; now hear it in terms of disciplined action, endowed with which, O son of Pritha, you will cast off the bondage of deeds.

2.40 In this path no effort is lost and no harm is incurred; even a little of this righteousness saves one from great fear.

2.41 In this, O joy of the Kurus, the resolute understanding is single; but many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the irresolute.

2.42 The unwise, who delight in the letter of the scriptures, O son of Pritha, utter flowery speech and say there is nothing else,

2.43 their hearts full of desire, intent on worldly reward, speaking of rites that bring wealth, pleasure and power;

2.44 those who cling to pleasure and power, whose minds are carried away by such words — in them the resolute understanding fixed in remembrance of God does not arise.

2.45 The scriptures as men have handled them deal with the three qualities of nature; rise above these three, O Arjuna — free from the pairs of opposites, ever steadfast in truth, free from greed for gain and hoarding, possessed of yourself.

2.46 As much use as there is in a well when water floods on every side, so much is there in all ritual books for the one who truly knows God.

2.47 Your right is to the work alone, never to its fruits; let not the fruit of action be your motive, and do not cling to inaction.

2.48 Established in devotion, perform actions, O Dhananjaya, abandoning attachment, being the same in success and failure; this evenness of mind is called discipline.

2.49 Far inferior is action done for reward to action guided by understanding, O Dhananjaya; seek refuge in understanding. Pitiable are those who work for the fruits.

2.50 One endowed with understanding casts off here both good and evil deeds' bonds; therefore devote yourself to discipline. Discipline is skill in action.

2.51 The wise, endowed with understanding, abandoning the fruits born of action, freed from the bondage of worldly craving, reach the abode free from sorrow.

2.52 When your understanding crosses beyond the thicket of delusion, then you will become indifferent to what has been heard and what is yet to be heard.

2.53 When your understanding, bewildered by conflicting doctrines, stands unmoved and steady in remembrance of God, then you will attain true discipline.

2.54 Arjuna said: What is the mark of one who is of steady wisdom, firm in contemplation, O Keshava? How does the one of steady mind speak, how does he sit, how does he walk?

2.55 The messenger Krishna conveyed: When a man casts off all the desires of the mind, O son of Pritha, and is content in himself with what God has given, then he is called one of steady wisdom.

2.56 He whose mind is untroubled in sorrows and who has no longing for pleasures, free from passion, fear and anger — he is called a sage of steady mind.

2.57 He who is without attachment anywhere, who neither rejoices nor hates when meeting good or evil — his wisdom is firmly set.

2.58 When, like the tortoise drawing in its limbs, he withdraws his senses from the objects of sense on every side, his wisdom is firmly set.

2.59 The objects of sense turn away from the abstinent man, but the taste for them remains; even the taste departs from him who has known the Supreme.

2.60 For the turbulent senses, O son of Kunti, forcibly carry away the mind even of a wise man who strives.

2.61 Restraining them all, let him sit disciplined, devoted to Me; for he whose senses are under control — his wisdom is firmly set.

2.62 When a man dwells on the objects of sense, attachment to them arises; from attachment springs desire, and from desire anger arises.

2.63 From anger comes delusion, from delusion loss of memory, from loss of memory the ruin of understanding; and from the ruin of understanding he perishes.

2.64 But the disciplined one, moving among the objects of sense with senses under control, free from attraction and aversion, attains serenity.

2.65 In serenity all his sorrows come to an end; for the understanding of the serene-minded soon becomes steady.

2.66 The undisciplined has no understanding, nor has he devotion; without devotion there is no peace, and for the one without peace, how can there be happiness?

2.67 For when the mind follows the wandering senses, it carries away his understanding as the wind carries away a ship upon the waters.

2.68 Therefore, O mighty-armed, he whose senses are entirely restrained from their objects — his wisdom is firmly set.

2.69 What is night for all beings is the time of waking for the disciplined one; and that wherein beings are awake is night for the sage who sees.

2.70 He attains peace into whom all desires flow as waters flow into the ocean, which is ever being filled yet remains unmoved — not he who craves desires.

2.71 The man who abandons all desires and goes about free from longing, without the sense of "mine" and without pride — he attains peace.

2.72 This is the state of nearness to God, O son of Pritha; having attained it, one is not deluded. Remaining in it even at the hour of death, one attains the peace of God and His Garden.