4.1 The messenger Krishna conveyed the word of God: This imperishable teaching I revealed to Vivasvat; Vivasvat taught it to Manu, and Manu proclaimed it to Ikshvaku.

4.2 Thus handed down in succession, the royal sages knew it; but through long lapse of time, O scorcher of foes, this teaching was lost in the world.

4.3 This same ancient teaching is today revealed to you by Me, for you are My devotee and friend; for this is the supreme secret.

4.4 Arjuna said: Later was your birth, and earlier was the birth of Vivasvat; how am I to understand that you revealed it in the beginning?

4.5 The messenger Krishna conveyed God's answer: Many are the messengers I have sent before you and before him, O Arjuna; I know them all, but you do not know them, O scorcher of foes.

4.6 I am unborn, imperishable, the Lord of all beings; I am never born and never take form. By My own power and command over nature, I raise up messengers from among men.

4.7 Whenever righteousness declines, O Bharata, and unrighteousness rises, then I send forth a messenger.

4.8 For the protection of the good, for the destruction of evildoers, and for the firm establishment of righteousness, I send a messenger in every age.

4.9 He who truly knows My sending of messengers and My work, on leaving the body is not lost, but comes to Me, O Arjuna.

4.10 Freed from passion, fear and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, many, purified by the austerity of knowledge, have attained nearness to Me.

4.11 In whatever way men approach Me, in that way I reward them; men everywhere, O son of Pritha, are on the path to Me, and to Me they shall return.

4.12 Those who desire success in their works here worship lesser powers in vain; for success born of works comes swiftly in this world only by My leave.

4.13 I created mankind with different natures, qualities and callings; and though I am the Creator of this order, know Me as one who is above and beyond all doing and change. Before Me the noblest is the most righteous.

4.14 Actions do not touch Me, nor do I desire their fruit; he who knows Me thus is not bound by actions.

4.15 Knowing this, the ancients who sought salvation performed action; therefore perform action as the ancients did in former times.

4.16 What is action, what is inaction? Even the wise are confused about this. I will declare to you that action, knowing which you will be freed from evil.

4.17 One must understand what action is, what wrong action is, and what inaction is; deep is the way of action.

4.18 He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among men; he is disciplined and performs all action.

4.19 He whose undertakings are all free from desire and self-interest, whose actions are burned up by the fire of knowledge — him the wise call learned.

4.20 Abandoning attachment to the fruits of action, ever content, depending on God alone, he does nothing of himself even though engaged in action.

4.21 Without longing, with mind and self controlled, abandoning all possessiveness, performing action with the body alone, he incurs no sin.

4.22 Content with what comes unsought from God, beyond the pairs of opposites, free from envy, the same in success and failure — though he acts, he is not bound.

4.23 For one who is free from attachment, liberated, whose mind is established in knowledge, who works as worship of God, all action is dissolved.

4.24 The act of offering is for God, the offering is given for God, by the servant of God into the fire of devotion; to God shall he go who is absorbed in action done for God.

4.25 Some devotees offer worship in reverence before God; others offer their own selves in devotion to Him.

4.26 Some offer the senses, such as hearing, in the fire of restraint; others offer the objects of sense, such as sound, in the fire of the senses.

4.27 Others offer all the actions of the senses and of the breath into the fire of self-restraint kindled by knowledge.

4.28 Some offer wealth in charity, others austerity, others discipline; and others, men of strict vows and self-control, offer the study of revealed scripture and knowledge.

4.29 Others, devoted to the control of breath, offer the inward breath into the outward and the outward into the inward, restraining the course of both.

4.30 Others, restricting their food, offer the breaths into the breaths. All these know what true offering is, and by offering their sins are washed away.

4.31 Those who eat the blessed food that remains after offering for God's sake attain the Eternal; this world is not for him who makes no offering, how then the next, O best of the Kurus?

4.32 Thus many kinds of offering are spread out before God. Know them all to be born of action; knowing this, you shall be released.

4.33 Better than offering of material things is the offering of knowledge, O scorcher of foes; all action without exception, O son of Pritha, culminates in knowledge.

4.34 Learn it by humble reverence, by inquiry and by service; the wise, who have seen the truth, will teach you knowledge.

4.35 Knowing this, you will not again fall into such delusion, O son of Pandu; by it you will see all beings as creatures of God, and see God's signs in yourself.

4.36 Even if you were the worst of all sinners, you would cross over all evil by the boat of knowledge and repentance alone.

4.37 As a kindled fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.

4.38 There is no purifier in this world equal to knowledge; he who is perfected in discipline finds it in himself in due time.

4.39 The man of faith, devoted to it and restraining his senses, attains knowledge; having attained knowledge, he soon attains the supreme peace.

4.40 The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting soul perishes; for the doubting soul there is neither this world nor the next, nor happiness.

4.41 He who has renounced action by discipline, whose doubts are cut away by knowledge, who is possessed of himself — actions do not bind him, O Dhananjaya.

4.42 Therefore, cutting with the sword of knowledge this doubt in your heart, born of ignorance, take to discipline and arise, O Bharata.