Arjuna, clasping his hands in respect, said:
“O Madhusudana, I feel confused. I don’t know what the right thing to do is. Please tell me. I am your disciple: instruct me.”
And Shri Krishna began to speak:
“The wise man does not complain neither for the living nor for the dead, as he knows that the soul is eternal, that it is never born or dies. Just as in this very life the spiritual soul passes from the body of a child to that of an elderly person, in a similar way at the moment of death the soul passes into another body: a sober person must not allow himself to be disturbed by this natural phenomenon.
“In this world suffering and pain appear and disappear periodically just like the seasons; these variations come from the perception of the senses and have no absolute reality. You must therefore learn to tolerate without being disturbed. Only he who reaches this stage of imperturbability is worthy. Consider, o descendant of Bharata, that what pervades the body is eternal and indestructible and that only the relationship that binds the soul to the body is temporary;
“But if you believe that the soul is an integral part of this mechanism of death and rebirth, still you have no reason to complain, as death would be nothing more than a moment like any other in the history of existence.
“Fighting is your natural duty, which you acquired at the time of birth and therefore you must do it. Otherwise people will not believe that you chose not to fight out of compassion, but out of fear, and your name will be laughed at forever. Let go of this weakness, stand up and fight.
“However, since you believe that your actions would be tainted by sin, I will explain to you how you can act while remaining free from the consequences.
“There are men who are attracted to the flowery language of the Vedas, who recommend activities interested in reaching the heavenly planets or better births for a life of joy and opulence: they argue that nothing is greater than that. Their minds cannot take root the determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord. But you must rise beyond the influences of material nature, transcend this world, and to achieve this you must act according to your prescribed duties without pretending to enjoy the fruits of your actions. Your perfection therefore consists in the act itself and not in the outcome which may or may not turn out to be pleasant. You must never be attached to success or feel repulsed by failure, but do everything as selfless service to the Supreme Personality of God. Misers are those who want to enjoy the results of their actions.
“So if you behave according to this spiritual consciousness, in this very life you will transcend all conditioning, you will be free from the cycle of deaths and rebirths and you will reach the stage which is beyond all misery.”
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 2”.
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