The fire of understanding

Content with whatever comes unbidden, beyond the pairs of opposites, free of envy, equal-minded in success and failure—even acting, he is not bound.

For one free of attachment, liberated, his mind fixed in knowledge, acting only for the sake of yajña, all his karma dissolves completely.

The offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, offered by Brahman into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be reached by one who sees Brahman in every action.

Some yogis perform sacrifice to the gods alone, while others offer the self as sacrifice, by the self, into the fire of Brahman alone.

Some offer hearing and the other senses as sacrifice into the fires of restraint, while others offer sound and the other sense-objects as sacrifice into the fires of the senses.

Still others offer all the functions of the senses and the functions of the vital breath as sacrifice into the fire of self-control in yoga, kindled by knowledge.

Others offer wealth as sacrifice, or austerity as sacrifice, or yoga as sacrifice, while others still, of disciplined effort and rigorous vows, offer study of scripture and knowledge as sacrifice.

Yet others offer the outgoing breath into the incoming breath, and the incoming into the outgoing, blocking the paths of both breaths, intent on the control of the vital breath. Others, restricting their food, offer their very breaths into the breaths.

All of these are knowers of yajña, their impurities consumed by yajña. Eating the nectar left over from yajña, they go to the eternal Brahman. This world is not for one who performs no yajña—how much less the next, best of the Kurus?

Many kinds of yajña such as these are spread out in the mouth of Brahman. Know all of them to be born of action—knowing this, you will be freed.

The sacrifice of knowledge is greater than sacrifice performed with material things, scorcher of enemies. All action without exception, Pārtha, culminates in knowledge.

Learn this by prostrating yourself, by questioning, and by service. Those who know, who have seen the truth, will instruct you in that knowledge.

Knowing it, you will not fall into this kind of delusion again, Pāndava, and by it you will see all beings without exception in yourself, and then in me.

Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, you will cross over all wrongdoing by the raft of knowledge alone.

As a blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all karma to ashes.

There is truly nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge. One who is perfected in yoga finds this within himself, in time, of himself.

The one with śraddhā gains knowledge—devoted to it, his senses mastered. Having gained knowledge, he reaches supreme peace without delay.

But the ignorant, the one without śraddhā, the doubting self, goes to ruin. For the doubting self there is neither this world, nor the next, nor happiness.

Actions do not bind the one who has renounced action through yoga, whose doubt has been cut away by knowledge, who is grounded in the self, Dhanañjaya.

Therefore, cutting away with the sword of knowledge this doubt about the self, born of ignorance, lodged in your heart—take refuge in yoga. Rise up, Bhārata!