Mahabharat

In reality a human isn't bound by his deeds.

The expectations linked to those deeds bind him.

How so, Krishna?

If you hope to be victorious in this war

then you shall feel immense sorrow upon defeat.

And that sorrow shall compel you to do something else

for which you need to be born again.

If you are victorious

your arrogance shall grow.

And that arrogance

shall drive you towards worldly triumph.

It shall make you kill

and the sin ought to it shall bind you.

Think about it!

If in this battle you have no desire to win

and have no fear of losing

would you feel bliss or sorrow at the end of this war?

Neither bliss, Krishna

nor sorrow.

Therefore your bliss, sorrow

hopelessness, disappointment, arrogance

aren't due to the war.

The expectations that you have from the war

shall cause them.

Is it not true, Arjun?

Therefore, holding joys and sorrows as equals

without thinking of gain, loss, victory or defeat

if you engage in battle, O' son of Kunti

you shall not bear any sins.

This is called 'Karma Yoga'.

The one who attains the knowledge of 'Saankhya'

realises the fact that he isn't a body

but a mere soul.

That the bliss and experiences of the body are only until death.

and therefore, aren't real, but just illusions.

For him becoming a 'Karma Yogi' becomes easier.

But, Krishna

if deeds are meant to restrain

isn't it wise to renounce the world

and embrace sainthood?

Such thinking is the sole reason for this war today, Arjun!

Ponder over it.

When the ones possessing 'Gunas'

and the ones who know justice give up deeds

then the ones full of injustice

run the world.

Had Grandsire Bheeshma not renounced the world

injustice wouldn't have grown so vast today.

And had your father not gone on an exile

brother Yudishtir would be reigning in peace today

and would be teaching his subjects

about justice and righteousness.

But Arjun, the sad truth is

that only the virtuous ones can benefit the world.

But they are the ones who often think of sainthood.

Just as water drifts away as steam

and dirt keeps lying right there, similarly

the virtuous and learned ones give up the world

and unjust ones possessed by 'Tamas' function in the world.

Ought to this very reason sins and injustice grow in the world.

But 'Karma Yoga' protects this world

from this bizarre situation!

A 'karma Yogi' gives up expectations of an outcome

but not the deeds themselves.

He stays in this very world

like a saint.

He performs all actions

but doesn't lose himself in one.

A 'Karma Yogi' expects nothing

from his children, from his dear ones

and even his subjects at all.

He himself reaps the benefits of sainthood.

But he benefits the world like a familial head.

A human toils for the well being of his off-springs.

How can he not expect joy from his own off-springs?

Whatever a human does for his children

is it a transaction or an act of love?

Love, Krishna.

Then why expect an outcome for his deeds, Arjun?

Future gains are measured in a transaction

and not in love.

The human who moulds his children's character well

and bestows the virtues of love and justice upon them

his children shall surely give him love and protection.

The deeds of one's children

and the behaviour of dear ones reflect one's own deeds, Arjun.

And when one has no rights upon their deeds

what is the use of having hopes and expectations from them?

If you think deeply, Arjun, you shall realise soon

that there is no deed in life

to which linking hopes and expectations is inevitable.

When the creation is God

and human is a fragment of God

all actions are caused by God himself.

A human does nothing on his own.

This is the base principle of 'Karma Yoga', Arjun.

Hence it is necessary

that you become a 'Karma Yogi' and fight this battle, Arjun.

By giving up three 'Gunas' be free of them, Arjun.

Be free of this dilemma!

Always think for 'Sattva' which is the Lord himself

and continue with your duties.

The desire to achieve something

and the thought of defending something that was achieved

must be given up, Arjun and liberate your soul.

Remember, Arjun.

Your right is only to commit deeds.

The outcome relies on the Lord.

Therefore neither is it right to run from deeds

nor is it right to expect a return for your deeds.

The one who gives up on outcomes

but does not give up deeds

how can such a 'Karma Yogi' be recognised, Krishna?

Look, Arjun?

The one who gives up food just to escape its taste

in reality the craving for taste never leaves his mind.

He faces a twofold loss.

For one he becomes weak

due to which the inevitable effort of attaining the Lord

cannot be done by him.

And secondly

his mind is always full of craving for taste.

Hence rather than giving up food