am friend. Even for those who perceive Me as enemy I approach as an enemy. All paths lead to Me, Divinity.
12 “Most who long for success in worldly pursuits pray to the gods (the minor deities) that their needs be fulfilled. In truth, any desire is a form of prayer, and often results in quick success. The higher the ideal, however, the more arduously one has to pursue it and the longer one must wait.
13 “In the beginning, I established the evolutionary system in nature whereby beings evolve toward spiritual perfection. I then established four groupings of people for the harmonious working of societies and the progress of humankind. These classifications correspond to progressively higher levels of consciousness and moral and spiritual attainment. All societies have generally similar groupings. The system sometimes unfortunately veers from its proper course, but know that the basic pattern is valid for the social harmony and clarity of purpose in all societies.
“And know, Arjuna, that although people are, at their core, all one, there are differences within them based on their karma (the consequences of their previous actions), and based on their natural makeup. And know that even though I am the author of these distinctions, I (the Atma within) am untouched by them because I am beyond all karmas, all consequences of My actions.”
Freedom from the Wheel of Karma
14 “Karmas do not cling to Me (Atma) because, as I mentioned, I am not concerned with the fruits of My actions. Anyone who really understands this principle of Atma, the True Self Within, is likewise not bound by the consequences of their own actions.
15 “This is not a new discovery. The ancient seekers of liberation were well aware of it. They carried out all their worldly actions without any sense of ego, incurring no karmic consequences. Do the same, Arjuna.
16-17 “But even great sages sometimes were perplexed as to what is action and what is inaction. I will tell you which actions (karmas) you should perform and which ones to avoid. This secret can actually free you from the wheel of death and rebirth.
18 “The truly wise person (the jnani, the yogi, the Sthithaprajna, or Illumined One) is the one who recognizes inaction in action, and action in inaction. He or she sees that where there is apparent action taking place at the worldly level, there may be true inaction within the individual; likewise, where there is no apparent worldly action taking place, there may be considerable action occurring on the inner level.
“Arjuna, truly wise persons are in the world but not of it. They may be very busy with earthly matters but their heads and hearts stay in solitude. They are connected in this way to the Atma within. These are the wise ones untouched by karma.
“Those who are ignorant of the True Self, thinking instead that they are the body and the doer, may attempt to renounce worldly actions, but at the inner level they still have the turmoil resulting from their attachments and desires. That inner turmoil is itself action, and thus they are still incurring karmic consequences even while supposedly not acting.
19 “The truly wise act without scheming for the fruits of their actions, and are therefore without inner turmoil.This breaks the chain of karma. All their selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowing that they are not the body or the doer, but are indeed the Atma, the True Self Within.
20 “These ideas are new to you, dear friend, so listen closely. The wise ones I have been describing are ever-content and need nothing. They have abandoned all external supports. This is true personal freedom. They act, but to them the actions are adorations of Divinity. Disentanglement from desire for the fruits of their actions is the key to their success.
21 “Expecting nothing, hoping for nothing, abandoning everything, they keep the mind and senses under control. Having conquered desire they
12 “Most who long for success in worldly pursuits pray to the gods (the minor deities) that their needs be fulfilled. In truth, any desire is a form of prayer, and often results in quick success. The higher the ideal, however, the more arduously one has to pursue it and the longer one must wait.
13 “In the beginning, I established the evolutionary system in nature whereby beings evolve toward spiritual perfection. I then established four groupings of people for the harmonious working of societies and the progress of humankind. These classifications correspond to progressively higher levels of consciousness and moral and spiritual attainment. All societies have generally similar groupings. The system sometimes unfortunately veers from its proper course, but know that the basic pattern is valid for the social harmony and clarity of purpose in all societies.
“And know, Arjuna, that although people are, at their core, all one, there are differences within them based on their karma (the consequences of their previous actions), and based on their natural makeup. And know that even though I am the author of these distinctions, I (the Atma within) am untouched by them because I am beyond all karmas, all consequences of My actions.”
Freedom from the Wheel of Karma
14 “Karmas do not cling to Me (Atma) because, as I mentioned, I am not concerned with the fruits of My actions. Anyone who really understands this principle of Atma, the True Self Within, is likewise not bound by the consequences of their own actions.
15 “This is not a new discovery. The ancient seekers of liberation were well aware of it. They carried out all their worldly actions without any sense of ego, incurring no karmic consequences. Do the same, Arjuna.
16-17 “But even great sages sometimes were perplexed as to what is action and what is inaction. I will tell you which actions (karmas) you should perform and which ones to avoid. This secret can actually free you from the wheel of death and rebirth.
18 “The truly wise person (the jnani, the yogi, the Sthithaprajna, or Illumined One) is the one who recognizes inaction in action, and action in inaction. He or she sees that where there is apparent action taking place at the worldly level, there may be true inaction within the individual; likewise, where there is no apparent worldly action taking place, there may be considerable action occurring on the inner level.
“Arjuna, truly wise persons are in the world but not of it. They may be very busy with earthly matters but their heads and hearts stay in solitude. They are connected in this way to the Atma within. These are the wise ones untouched by karma.
“Those who are ignorant of the True Self, thinking instead that they are the body and the doer, may attempt to renounce worldly actions, but at the inner level they still have the turmoil resulting from their attachments and desires. That inner turmoil is itself action, and thus they are still incurring karmic consequences even while supposedly not acting.
19 “The truly wise act without scheming for the fruits of their actions, and are therefore without inner turmoil.This breaks the chain of karma. All their selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowing that they are not the body or the doer, but are indeed the Atma, the True Self Within.
20 “These ideas are new to you, dear friend, so listen closely. The wise ones I have been describing are ever-content and need nothing. They have abandoned all external supports. This is true personal freedom. They act, but to them the actions are adorations of Divinity. Disentanglement from desire for the fruits of their actions is the key to their success.
21 “Expecting nothing, hoping for nothing, abandoning everything, they keep the mind and senses under control. Having conquered desire they
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