First Discourse - the yoga of the despondency of Arjuna "Introduction: What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together eager for battle on the Holy plain of Kurukshetra. Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle-array, king Duryodhana then approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words... Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana (Satyaki), Virata and Drupada, of the great car (mighty warriors)... Then also, Madhava (Krishna) and the son of Pandu (Arjuna), seated in the magnificent chariot, yoked with white horses, blew their divine conches... Then Arjuna (son of Pritha) saw there in the armies stationed, fathers and grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends too. Arjuna says: by killing these sons of Dhritarashtra, what pleasure can be ours O Krishna? Only sin will accrue to us from killing these felons. Having thus spoken in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna casting away his bow and arrow, sat down on the seat of the chariot with his mind overwhelmed with sorrow." Second Discourse - sankaya yoga "Krishna says: These bodies of the embodied Self, which is Eternal is indestructible and immeasurable, are said to have an end. Therefore fight, O Arjuna... Further, having regard to thy duty, thou shouldst not waver, for there is nothing higher for a Kshatriya (warrior class) than a righteous war... But if thou wilt not fight this righteous war, then having abandoned thine own duty and fame, thou shalt incur sin... The Vedas deal with three attributes of nature (prakriti). Be thou above these three attributes. O Arjuna, free yourself from the pairs of opposites, and ever remain in the quality of sattva, freed from thought of acquisition and preservation (Rajas) and be established in the Self (Brahman)... Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction... Having restrained all the turbulent senses and all, he should sit steadfast, intent on Me. His wisdom is steady whose senses are under control. When a man thinks of the objects, attachment for them arises, from attachment desire is born, from desire anger arises. From anger comes delusion. From delusion loss of memory. From loss of memory the destruction of discrimination. From destruction of discrimination he perishes... There is no knowledge of the Self (God) to the unsteady and to the unsteady no meditation is possible, and to the un-meditative there can be no peace and to the man who has no peace, how can there be happiness? ... That man attains peace who abandoning all desires, move about without longing, without the sense of mine and without egoism." Third discourse - the yoga of action "Arjuna says: If thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action O Krishna, why then dost thou ask me to engage in this terrible action? Krishna says: in this world there is a twofold path, the path of knowledge and path of action... Whosoever by controlling the senses of the mind (three Gunas), engages himself in Karma Yoga (includes battle) with the organs of action, without attachment, he excels... The gods, nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys the objects given by the gods without offering in return to them, is verily a thief... Whatsoever a great man does, the other men also do; he sets up as the standard, that the world follows... There is nothing in the three worlds that should be done by Me, nor is there anything unattained that should be attained; yet I engage Myself in action... They say that the senses (gunas) are superior to the body, superior to the senses is the mind. Superior to the mind is the intellect; one who is superior even to the intellect is He (the Self). Thus knowing Him Who (God) is superior to the intellect and restraining the self by the Self, slay thou, O mighty armed Arjuna, the enemy in the form of desire, hard to conquer." Fourth Discourse - the Yoga of the division of Wisdom "Krishna: I taught this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvan; he told it to Manu. Manu proclaimed it to Ikshvaku. Arjuna says: later on was Thy birth and prior to it was the birth of Vivasvan (the Sun); how am I to understand that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning? Krishna says: many births of Mine (God, blessed Ones, all in One, Krishna) have passed as well as of thine, O Arjuna. I know them all but thou knowest not... Whenever there is decline of righteousness, O Arjuna and rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself... Freed from attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by the fire of knowledge, many have attained to My Being... The fourfold caste had been created by Me according to the differentiation of Gunas and karma; though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable... Without hope and with the mind and the self controlled, having abandoned all greed, doing mere bodily action, he incurs no sin. Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, though acting, he is not bound... Some yogis perform sacrifice to the gods alone; while others who have realized the Self offer the Self as sacrifice by the Self in the fire of Brahman (God) alone... Superior is wisdom-sacrifice to the sacrifice with objects. All Actions in their entity, culminate in knowledge... Verily, there is no purifier in this world like the knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in time. The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued the senses obtains this knowledge, and having obtained the knowledge he attains at once to the supreme peace. The ignorant, the faithless, the doubting self goes to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting... Therefore with the sword of knowledge (of the Self) cut asunder the doubt of the self born of ignorance, residing in thy heart and take refuge in Yoga. Arise, O Arjuna."