A treasury of the texts

Work without anxiety

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥

karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana |mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi ||

Your right is to the action alone, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruit be your motive, and do not cling to doing nothing.

Patience in change

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ |āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata ||

The touch of the senses brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and they go, and they do not last. Bear them patiently, Arjuna.

The undying self

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे॥

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ |ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ||

The self is never born and never dies. It did not come into being and will not cease to be. Unborn, eternal and ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.

Leading by example

यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ |sa yat pramāṇaṃ kurute lokas tad anuvartate ||

Whatever a leading person does, others do the same. Whatever standard they set, the world follows.

One's own path

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥

śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt |sva-dharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ ||

Better your own duty done imperfectly than another's duty done well. Better to fall in your own duty; another's duty is full of fear.

The return of dharma

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata |abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmy aham ||

Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, Arjuna, then I bring myself forth.

Faith and knowledge

श्रद्धावाँल्लभते ज्ञानं तत्परः संयतेन्द्रियः।ज्ञानं लब्ध्वा परां शान्तिमचिरेणाधिगच्छति॥

śraddhāvāl̐ labhate jñānaṃ tat-paraḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ |jñānaṃ labdhvā parāṃ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati ||

One with faith, devoted and with the senses in hand, gains knowledge. Having gained it, they soon reach the highest peace.

Self-reliance

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet |ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ ||

Lift yourself by your own self, and do not let yourself sink. The self alone is your friend, and the self alone is your enemy.

Taming the mind

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्।अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥

asaṃśayaṃ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam |abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate ||

No doubt the mind is restless and hard to hold. But with practice and detachment, it can be held.

The smallest offering

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति।तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः॥

patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |tad ahaṃ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||

A leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, offered to me with love by a pure heart, I accept.

The pure gift

दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे।देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम्॥

dātavyam iti yad dānaṃ dīyate 'nupakāriṇe |deśe kāle ca pātre ca tad dānaṃ sāttvikaṃ smṛtam ||

A gift given because giving is right, to one who cannot repay, at the right place and time and to a worthy person, is called sattvic.

Where the Ramayana begins

तपःस्वाध्यायनिरतं तपस्वी वाग्विदां वरम्।नारदं परिपप्रच्छ वाल्मीकिर्मुनिपुङ्गवम्॥

tapaḥ-svādhyāya-nirataṃ tapasvī vāg-vidāṃ varam |nāradaṃ paripapraccha vālmīkir muni-puṅgavam ||

The ascetic Valmiki questioned Narada, the best of sages, devoted to austerity and study and finest among the eloquent.

Grief becomes poetry

मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः।यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम्॥

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṃ tvam agamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |yat krauñca-mithunād ekam avadhīḥ kāma-mohitam ||

O hunter, may you find no rest for endless years, for you killed one of a pair of cranes lost in love. Valmiki's grief at this sight became the first shloka.

The epic about itself

धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च मोक्षे च भरतर्षभ।यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत्क्वचित्॥

dharme cārthe ca kāme ca mokṣe ca bharatarṣabha |yad ihāsti tad anyatra yan nehāsti na tat kvacit ||

On dharma, wealth, desire and freedom, what is here may be found elsewhere, but what is not here is found nowhere.

True friends

विद्या मित्रं प्रवासेषु भार्या मित्रं गृहेषु च।व्याधितस्यौषधं मित्रं धर्मो मित्रं मृतस्य च॥

vidyā mitraṃ pravāseṣu bhāryā mitraṃ gṛheṣu ca |vyādhitasyauṣadhaṃ mitraṃ dharmo mitraṃ mṛtasya ca ||

Learning is a friend when you travel, a spouse is a friend at home, medicine is the friend of the sick, and dharma is the friend after death.

The convocation

सत्यं वद। धर्मं चर। स्वाध्यायान्मा प्रमदः।

satyaṃ vada | dharmaṃ cara | svādhyāyān mā pramadaḥ |

Speak the truth. Walk in dharma. Do not neglect your own study. The teacher's parting words to students.

Enjoy by letting go

ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्।तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्॥

īśā vāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat |tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam ||

All this, whatever moves in this moving world, is pervaded by the Lord. Enjoy it by letting go. Do not covet anyone's wealth.