Anger
Bhagavad Gita
“Triple is the gate of this hell, destructive of the self – lust, anger and greed; therefore one should abandon these three.”
Krishna, 16.21
~
Mahabharata
“Anger ultimately destroys mankind. Real prosperity crowns one who conquers anger and brings adversity to one whom anger controls. Anger is the root of all destruction. An angry man commits sin blindly. He cannot distinguish between right and wrong.”
Yudhisthira to Draupadi
“Non-envy means always desiring the welfare and advancement of all living beings rather than to exploit them for one’s own pleasure. In particular, one should desire the spiritual progress of others and act to assist them in that progress.”
Sage Nuhusha to Yudhisthira
~
Uddhava Gita
15 “Emotions like sorrow and joy,
Fear, anger, greed, infatuation,
Confusion and so on,
All belong to the idea-of-“I”
That experiences birth and death ~
But not to the Self.”
Krishna, Dialogue 23
19 “It is this desire and attachment
That leads people to quarrel.”
Krishna, Dialogue 26
20 “Such quarrelling leads to anger,
And anger leads to darkness
In consciousness.
From then on
The capacity
To know right from wrong
Is clouded.”
~
The Bible
“But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgement.”
Jesus, Matthew 5.22
“In your anger do not sin. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
Ephesians 4.26
Austerity
Bhagavad Gita
“Worship of the gods, the twice-born, the teachers and the wise, purity, straightforwardness, celibacy and non-injury are called the austerities of the body.”
“Speech which causes no excitement, truthful, pleasant and beneficial, the practice of the study of the Vedas, are called austerity of speech.”
“Serenity of mind, good-heartedness, self-control, purity of nature – this is called mental austerity.”
Ephesians 4.26
“That which is like poison at first but in the end like nectar – that happiness is declared to be Sattvic, born of the purity of one’s own mind due to Self-realisation.”
Krishna, 18.37
~
Uddhava Gita
45 “From fire I learnt how to burn brightly
Through the power of practice
And to let the fire of my practice
Transform what is impure and make it pure.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 2
36 “Thus it is that the brahmacharin
Who lives such a life
Of simplicity, purity and celibacy
Becomes like blazing fire,
Burning to ashes all past desires
And tendencies.
Free from desire
The brahmacharin will know the Self.”
Krishna, Dialogue 12
37 “The greatest charity is to relinquish any thought
Of violence towards others.
Austerity is the renunciation of all hopes and desires.
Courage is overcoming one’s own tendencies.
Honesty is looking upon all
With impartial vision.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
~
The Bible
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”
2 Timothy 2.12
Chasity
Mahabharata
“At no time do I allow my mind to dwell upon another man or any celestial. My heart never swerves from my husbands.”
“In my opinion, service to the husband is the eternal virtue of women. The husband is the wife’s god and her sole refuge. By serving him, she pleases the Supreme Lord himself and thereby attains the highest destination.”
Draupadi to Satyabhama, p. 306
“O Prince, it is not proper for me to speak to you here. The ordinance dictates that a woman should never be alone with any man other than her husband.”
Draupadi to Prince Kotika, p. 333
“I am a maiden, and I cannot surrender my body to a man until I am properly married. In this world, keeping her body pure is considered a woman’s highest duty.”
Kunti to Surya, p. 926
~
Mystical Stories
from the Mahabharata
“I want only your love – and no one else’s. For I love you. Just tell me how I may serve you.”
Damayanti Nala and Damayanti, p. 85
“Although chaste women may fall into difficulty, they protect themselves; and thus when they die, they certainly go to the higher regions.”
Nala Nala and Damayanti, p.112
~
The Bible
“But I say to you, that whoever looks at a woman to lust after has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Jesus Matthew 5.28
~
Shiva Purana
9. A chaste lady sanctifies the worlds, destroys sins and is blessed. None else is so worthy of respect.
10. O Parvati, she who serves her husband with love and considers him her sole lord, enjoys all pleasures here and obtains salvation hereafter along with her husband.
15. The duty of a chaste lady is very important and has been mentioned in the Vedas and the Smrtis. No other duty is so admirable as this.
31. Whether he is impotent, distressed, sick or senile, happy or unhappy, the husband shall never be transgressed.
37. She shall not talk to any woman who disparages or hates her husband.
40. A chaste lady shall be delighted when her husband is delighted and dejected when he is dejected. She shall always wish for his benefit.
41. She shall be virtuous and equanimous in affluence and adversity. She shall have fortitude and shall never go astray.
43. O Goddess, the husband is superior to Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva, for a chaste lady her husband is on a par with Shiva.
48. She who delights her husband delights all the worlds.
50. What father gives is limited, what brother gives is limited and what the son gives is also limited. A chaste lady shall worship her husband who gives what has no limit.
51. To a wife the husband is god, preceptor, virtue, holy centre and sacred rite. She should cast off everything and adore him alone.
52. She who forsakes her husband and secretly violates her fidelity is born as a she-owl of cruel nature, wasting its days in the hollow of a tree.
56. She who casts glance on another person hiding it from her husband becomes one-eyed twisted-faced or ugly.
60. Disloyal women cause the downfall of the three families, that of the father, mother and husband and become distressed here and hereafter.
61. Wherever the chaste lady sets her foot, the sin is dispelled therefrom and the place is sanctified.
62. Even the sun, moon and wind touch the chaste woman to sanctify themselves and not otherwise.
64. Wife is the root of the household and of its happiness; she is the source of the fruit of virtue and for the flourishing of the family.
68. Just as the body is purified by a plunge in the Gaṅgā, so everything is sanctified on seeing a chaste woman.
74. O gentle lady, she whose mind is not even aware of anyone else and who is conscious of her husband even in her dreams is the noblest of all.
80. O Siva, O daughter of the mountain, knowing this well you shall render service to your husband everyday with pleasure as it bestows all desires.
81. You are the Goddess and the mother of the universe. Shiva Himself is your husband. By remembering you women become chaste.
The brahmin lady instructs Parvati, chapter 54
Contentment
Bhagavad Gita
“But for that man who rejoices only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self and who is content in the Self alone, verily there is nothing to do.”
Krishna, 3.17
“He who is happy within, who rejoices within, and who is illuminated within, that Yogi attains absolute freedom or Moksha, himself becoming Brahman.”
Krishna, 5.24
~
Uddhava Gita
35 “The greatest contentment
Comes from devotion alone
And not from its rewards,
Therefore one who has this devotion
Seeks nothing else.”
Krishna, Dialogue 15
~
Mahabharata
“The highest happiness comes from contentment, while the struggle for wealth, fame, followers, and the association of loved ones is the cause of bondage and ultimately pain.”
Shaunaka to Yudhisthira
~
The Bible
“As having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”
2 Corinthians 6.10
Controlling the Mind
Bhagavad Gita
“One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.”
“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for him who has failed to do so, his mind will remain his greatest enemy.”
“For one who has conquered the mind, the Self is already reached, for he has attained to tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.”
Krishna, 6.5-7
“When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self only, free from longing for all the objects of desires, then it is said ‘He is united’”.
Krishna, 6.18
“Let that be known by the name of Yoga, the severance from union with pain. This Yoga should be practised with determination and an undesponding mind.”
Krishna, 6.23
“From whatever cause the restless and unsteady mind wanders away, from that let him restrain it and bring it under the control of the Self alone.”
Krishna, 6.26
~
Uddhava Gita
22 “Whatever an embodied being centres the mind on,
Be it through love or hate or fear,
That we become.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 4
21 “This process of controlling the mind
Can be likened to
Taming a wild horse:
Little by little
Learning when to slacken the reins
And when to draw them in.
This is the first step
Toward the highest Yoga.”
Krishna, Dialogue 15
43 “Neither these people,
Nor my own body,
Nor the gods,
Nor the planets,
Nor my past deeds,
Nor time,
Are the cause of my joy or distress.
All the scriptures tell me
It is my mind and my mind alone
That sets in motion
This wheel of material existence.”
The initiated One, Dialogue 18
61 “Therefore, my dear friend,
Control your mind
By fixing it on me.
This is the essence of Yoga.”
Krishna, Dialogue 18
~
Mahabharata
“You have won one war, O King. Now you face an even greater battle – the battle with your mind. If you expire before gaining victory in that fight, then you will have to take another birth and resume the battle until you win.”
Bhima to Yudhisthira
“O foremost of Bharata’s race, you must now contend with the most powerful enemy of all – your mind. Your only weapon in this battle is knowledge, and you have no army to assist you.”
Krishna to Yudhisthira
~
The Bible
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12.2
~
The Upanishads
"For Man,
Mind is the Cause of Liberation
and Mind is the Cause of Bondage."
Amrta-bindhu Upanishad 2
Controlling the Senses
Bhagavad Gita
“For the mind which follows in the wake of the wandering senses, carries away his discrimination, as the wind carries away a boat on the waters.”
Krishna, 2.67
“Attachment and aversion for the objects of the senses abide in the senses; let none come under their sway; for they are his foes.
Krishna, 3.34
~
Mahabharata
“As an unfired earthen pot leaks when it is filled with water, so one without self-control is lost when grief or joy arises.”
Shakuni to Duryodhana
“One who is controlled by his senses cannot control a kingdom. Only after conquering ourselves can we conquer the earth.”
Gandhari to Duryodhana
~
Uddhava Gita
8 “Those who fail to control the senses
Are not sages
They become agitated and disturbed
Even by illusory sexual attractions,
Toward which they plunge blindly,
Like a moth into a flame.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 3
41 “Happiness is equanimity
In both joy and sorrow.
Sorrow is the ceaseless longing
For gratification of the senses.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
27 “Nevertheless contact with the objects
To which the senses are attracted
By the illusory power of maya,
Should be firmly rejected ~
Until through devotion and practice
All passion is removed from the mind.”
Krishna Dialogue 23
~
Swami Krishnanada
“The withdrawal of the senses is an absolute precondition of our attunement with the Universal — which is satisfaction really, which is bliss and which is Reality.”
“Here it is that Guru’s grace helps—the proximity of a master, intense study and physical isolation from objects of sense. All these are aids in the practice of PRATYAHARA.”
“Starving the senses is no means of controlling them.”
“While a kind of check on the senses is necessary and desirable, starving them to the extreme is very harmful”
In the Light of Wisdom,
Chapter 26: Seeing Through the Delusion of Desire
~
The Bible
“This I say then, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”
Galatians 5.16-17
Desire
Bhagavad Gita
“When a man thinks of the objects, attachment to 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 the destruction of discrimination he perishes.”
Krishna, 2.62-63
“He attains peace into whom all desires enter as waters enter the ocean, which, filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is full of desires.”
“The man attains peace, who, abandoning all desires, moves about without longing, without the sense of mine and without egoism.”
“This is the Brahmic seat (eternal state), O son of Pritha! Attaining to this, none is deluded. Being established therein, even at the end of life one attains to oneness with Brahman.”
Krishna, 2.70-72
“It is desire, it is anger born of the quality of Rajas, know this to be the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.”
Krishna, 3.37
“O Arjuna, wisdom is enveloped by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire, which is unappeasable as fire!”
Krishna, 3.39
“The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its seat;
through these it deludes the embodied by veiling his wisdom.”
“Therefore, O best of Bharatas, controlling the senses first, kill this sinful thing, the destroyer of knowledge and realisation.”
Krishna, 3.40-41
“He who is able, while still here in this world to withstand,
before the liberation from the body,
the impulse born of desire and anger—he is a Yogi, he is a happy man.”
Krishna, 4.23
“Absolute freedom (or Brahmic bliss) exists on all sides for those self-controlled ascetics who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realised the Self.”
Krishna, 4.26
“With the senses, the mind and the intellect always controlled, having liberation as his supreme goal, free from desire, fear and anger—the sage is verily liberated for ever.”
Krishna, 4.28
“If actions are done for the sake of God, without desire for the fruits, one is released from the bonds of birth and death and attains to immortal bliss.”
Krishna, 6.44
“It is desire that impels man to lose his discrimination and understanding, and thus commit wrong actions. Desire is the root cause of all evil actions. If desire is removed, then the divine power manifests in its full glory and one enjoys peace, bliss, light and freedom.”
Krishna, 6.48
“Desire gives rise to imagination or Sankalpa, which drives the soul into the field of action. Therefore, none can realise permanent freedom and tranquillity of mind without renouncing desires.”
Krishna, 6.69
“He who, having cast aside the ordinances of the scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, attains not perfection, nor happiness, nor the Supreme Goal.”
Krishna, 16.23
~
Uddhava Gita
10 “In the mind of a person
Under the influence of rajas,
All manner of desires will arise.
Each desire when focussed on
Will in time become a burning passion.
Krishna, Dialogue 8
41 “True beauty is desirelessness.”
Krishna to Uddhava, Dialogue 14
19 “The value you place on an object
Will determine
The strength of your desire for it,
And the power of your attachment to it.
It is this desire and attachment
That leads people to quarrel.”
Krishna, Dialogue 16
~
Tao Te Ching
“Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you only see its manifestations.”
1
~
Srimad Bhagavatam
“Sexual desire directed towards Me, with complete absorption in Me, will not end in sensual enjoyment. Just as grain boiled or fried can never germinate, association with Me destroys the sensual nature of passion.”
Krishna to the Gopis, Canto 12
The Motherlode of Truth about Earth
- Satyatma
The Sanskrit term Mumukshutva means "A Burning Desire for Liberation."
Section 3, p.2
“All beings have desire naturally. Egotism is the basis of selfish desire.”
“You cannot do great works in this world for the good if you are primarily motivated by selfish desires.”
“And you certainly cannot ascend to higher planes of existence if you are primarily motivated by selfish desires.”
“The path of ascension and transcendence involve the transmutation of selfish desire to that of universal desire.”
Section 3, p.14
“These are Those Who Completely Renounced All Desires for the Pleasures of Earthly Life, and Were Willing to Suffer Anything At All in Order to Return to the Higher Existence.”
“All Personal Desires Have Been Subsumed into the Desire to Serve Truth. Their Entire Existence is Devoted to The One.”
Section 3, p.76-77
~
Swami Krishnanada
“The consequence of the satisfaction of desire is further desire.”
“We are in this samsara, as we call it, which is the world of unending desires which seek for eternal satisfaction. Yoga psychology contends that the consequence of the fulfilment of a sensory desire is dissatisfaction and not satisfaction.”
“Unfulfilled desires buried inside us in the form of impressions or grooves formed in the mind are the reason for rebirth.”
“By sattva we mean a tranquil condition of the mind where the desires cease.”
“The mind is so diplomatic that it keeps certain desires for its secret gratification. So one should completely abandon all desires without reservation.”
“That is why we wake up from sleep and then go on running here and there to bring about a cessation of desire. We wake up from sleep because tamas cannot be our real nature, and we want sattva—not tamas or rajas. But how long can we have this sattva through an artificial means?”
“In every condition of desire, we are out of tune with ourselves. We are in tune with an object, but out of tune with ourselves.”
“The desires therefore are not merely conscious; they can be subconscious and unconscious. Sometimes they are released in the dream state. Many times certain things come out in our dreams, and we can see what we are. There are other things which we cannot know at all.”
In the Light of Wisdom,
Chapter 26: Seeing Through the Delusion of Desire
“The true fulfilment of all desires can only be fulfilled if all seeming externalities of the object fall away and the difference between subject and object ceases. Resulting in true union and deep knowledge of Atman.”
“He who knows the Atman gets all desires fulfilled”
Chapter 4: An Analysis of the Nature of the Self ; Section 1: The Universal Self Within the Heart and in the World
“Consciousness, which is operating through the mind and the sense organs, moves out of itself in the direction of spatio-temporal objects when there is a desire for anything.”
The Samvarga Vidya of Sage Raikva: The All-Absorbent Meditation
~
Patanjali, Raja Yoga Sutra
"Liberation Comes Quickly when the Desire for It is Intense."
~
Krishnamurti
"Truth Frees, Not Your Desire to be Free."
Detachment
Bhagavad Gita
“The enjoyments that are born of contacts are only generators of pain, for they have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna: the wise man does not rejoice in them.”
Krishna, 5.22
~
Uddhava Gita
40 “From the air I learned
What it means to be a Yogi:
To move about freely in contact with all things
But attached to no thing.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 2
35 “Withdraw your attention from this world
With all its appearances of forms and objects.
Immerse yourself in the reality
Of that inner eternal bliss.”
Krishna, Dialogue 8
14 “Withdrawing the attention
From the external world
The seeker fixes it on me.”
Krishna, Dialogue 9
2 “While in this world
The wise do not get entangled with it.”
Krishna, Dialogue 21
9 “Move in the world
But be free of it.”
Krishna, Dialogue 23
~
The Bible
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the Earth.”
Colossians 3.2
Devotion
Bhagavad Gita
“I am easily attainable by that ever-steadfast Yogi who constantly and daily remembers Me, not thinking of anything else, O Partha.”
Krishna, 8.14
“But the great souls, O Arjuna, partaking of My divine nature, worship Me with a single mind, knowing Me as the imperishable source of beings.”
Krishna, 9.13
“Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. You shall come to Me; truly, I promise, for you are dear to me.”
“Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone: I will liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.”
Krishna, 18.65-66
~
Uddhava Gita
[The gopis]
12 “With their minds fixed on me,
With all their thoughts revolving around me,
They were no longer conscious of relatives and friends,
They were not even aware of their own bodies,
Much less of this world or the next ~
Like Yogis in a deeply meditative state,
They merged their consciousness with mine,
Just as the waters of many rivers merge with the ocean.”
Krishna, Dialogue 7
22 “Surrender your mind to me:
Do this by surrendering
All your actions to me.
Speak of me only
And my transcendent nature
And all desires will be banished.
27 “That which engenders devotion
Is the best religious practice.”
40 “Profit and gain
Are devotion to me.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
29 “Through this path of devotion,
All desires of the heart will be destroyed ~
For I, the Self, dwell in the heart.”
Krishna, Dialogue 15
21 “Uddhava, most pious of men,
Whatever worldy activity ~
Even if it is weeping through fear ~
Is offered to me
Without desire for reward,
Is the most exalted spiritual path
That anyone can walk.
22 “This teaching is indeed
The wisdom of the wise
And the intelligence of the discerning:
Through it one uses the unreal
To achieve the real.”
Krishna, Dialogue 24
Faith
Bhagavad Gita
“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 cut asunder the doubt born of ignorance, residing in your heart and take refuge in Yoga. Arise, O Arjuna.”
Krishna, 4.40 & 42
“The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Arjuna. The man consists of his faith; as a man’s faith is, so is he.”
Krishna, 17.3
“Whatever is sacrificed, given or performed, and whatever austerity is practised without faith, it is called ‘Asat’, O Arjuna; it is naught here or hereafter.”
Krishna, 17.28
~
Uddhava Gita
20 “Develop faith
By listening constantly
To stories of me.
Sing songs of praise
And become attached to me alone.
Let all your prayers be directed to me.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
23 “Remove all doubts
Through a clear understanding of Reality:
Cease to identify with the unreal
And identify yourself with the Real ~
With Brahman.
Turn way from fleeting moments of pleasure
And enjoy the constant ecstasy
Of the eternal Self.”
Krishna, Dialogue 23
~
The Bible
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”
James, 1.6
~
Glory of the Gita, Vaha Purana
1. O. Bhagavan! The Supreme Lord! How can unflinching devotion arise in him who is immersed in his worldy life, O Lord?
Mother Earth
2, Though engaged in the performance of worldly duties, one who is regular in the study of the Gita, becomes free. He is the happy man in this world. He is not bound by Karma.
The Lord Vishnu
Humlity
Bhagavad Gita
“Fixing your mind on me, you shall by My grace overcome all obstacles; but if from egoism you will not hear Me, you shall perish.”
Krishna, 18.58
~
Mahabharata
“Great heroes, even after winning many battles and conquering great kingdoms, do not utter a single word of self-praise. Indeed, silence itself is the quality of the truly powerful. Fire burns silently and silently does the sun shine. The earth bears her great load of moving and non-moving creatures without a word.”
Ashvatthama to Karna
~
The Bible
“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Jesus, Matthew 23.11
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools”
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator”
Romans 1.22 & 25
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3.5-6
~
Tao Te Ching
“All streams flow to the sea
Because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.”
66
“Not-knowing is true knowledge
Presuming to know is a disease.
First realize that you are sick;
Then you can move toward health.”
71
Karma
Bhagavad Gita
“As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all actions to ashes.”
Krishna, 4.37
~
Uddhava Gita
15 “I am the ruler of time
Through which
The consequences of all actions taken
Must be resolved ~
Sometimes rising
To the sublime height of Satyaloka,
Sometimes sinking back down
To an earthly existence
And the stream of the three gunas.”
Krishna, Dialogue 19
~
Mahabharata
“God ordains our happiness and distress in accord with the results of our past actions. Everyone depends upon the Lord. He brings us together and uses us as instruments to fulfil each other’s karma.”
Draupadi to Yudhisthira
“The embodied soul travels from life to life as a result of his own acts, good and bad. At no time is the soul without a body as long as he remains within this world trying to enjoy his senses.”
Markandeya Rishi to Yudhisthira
~
The Bible
“For the son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
Jesus, Matthew 16.27
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Galatians 6.7
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3.18
Knowledge
Bhagavad Gita
“The Self is not born, nor does It ever die; after having been, It again ceases not to be; unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.”
“Whosoever knows it to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and inexhaustible, how can that man slay, O Arjuna, or cause to be slain?”
“Just as a man cats off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others which are new.”
“Weapons cut it not, fire burns It not, water wets it not, wind dries it not.”
Krishna, 2.20-23
“This body, O Arjuna, is called the field; he who knows it is called the knower of the field, by those who know of them.”
“Know Me as the knower of the field in all fields, O Arjuna. Knowledge of both the field and the knower of the field is considered by me to be the knowledge.”
Krishna, 13.1-2
“The soul seated in Nature experiences the qualities born of Nature; attachment to the qualities is the cause of its birth in good and evil wombs.”
“He sees, who sees that all actions are performed by nature alone and that the Self is action-less.”
Krishna, 13.21 & 29
~
Uddhava Gita
10 “Identification with the body,
Which is created by the Supreme
Through the mysterious power of maya,
Is the cause of human bondage
To birth and death and rebirth.
Only knowledge of the Self
Can release one from that bondage.”
The Brahmin, Dialogue 4
26 “Therefore, cease to identify yourself with the mind,
Which is constantly drawn to the objects through the senses,
And which then gets caught up in these objects.
Instead, identify yourself entirely
With that undivided Presence.”
Krishna, Dialogue 8
40 “Real knowledge
Is the knowledge which ends
All multiplicities.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
38 “When the mind thus comes and goes
Passing from body to body,
It enters a body and becomes entranced
By the objects surrounding it:
It forgets the past body
And identifies only with the present body.
This forgetfulness of the Self
Is called death.”
Krishna, Dialogue 17
39 “O most generous Uddhava,
What is called birth is no more
Than the identification of the mind
With a new body.
That new body is accepted as reality ~
Just as a body in a dream
Is accepted as reality.”
45 “Nothing is born,
Nothing dies and nothing acts.
Yet through illusion
Birth, action and death
Appear to be a reality ~
Just as it seems
That when the log has burnt out
Fire has died.”
11 “The Self is eternal, transcendent and pure ~
It is alight unto itself like fire.
The material body is like unlit firewood,
Which is incapabale of light on its own.
So what is it that actually undergoes
The experience of a material life?”
Krishna, Dialogue 23
~
Mahabharata
“The soul is covered first by a subtle body made of mind, intelligence, and false ego. The subtle body carries the recollection of every experience the soul has ever has and thus assumes various gross material forms.”
Sage Nuhusha to Yudhisthira
~
The Bible
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4.8
Oneness
Bhagavad Gita
“With the mind harmonised by Yoga he sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self; he sees the same everywhere.”
“For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he never becomes separate from Me, nor do I become separate from him.”
Krishna, 6.29- 30
“That by which one sees the one indestructible Reality in all beings, not separate in all the separate beings – know that knowledge to be Sattvic.”
Krishna, 18.20
~
Uddhava Gita
51 “Like the sun the Self is one.
But like the sun reflected on moving water
The Self appears to be broken into many forms.
But I learned from the sun
Not to mistake the image for the reality.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 2
7 “All people and things must become equal
In the eyes of such a devotee –
Be they spouse, children, home or wealth,
Friends or relatives.
The devotee must seek only the Self in all.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 4
44 “Whatever one’s duties,
One who worships the Self alone
And is constant in that worship ~
Knowing that the Self is the Self of all beings ~
Will know me as the Self.”
Krishna, Dialogue 13
12 “With a pure heart
Resting in a pure mind,
See only me
As the immortal Self
In all beings.
See this Self as that
Which is internal to you
And external to you~
As expansive as they sky.”
15“One who is always
Present to my Presence in all,
Quickly overcomes any tendencies towards
Rivalry, envy and conceit,
Which are born of the idea-of-‘I.’”
19“This form of worship
Is the highest:
With body, mind and speech
Regard all beings as myself.”
Krishna, Dialogue 24
Purity
Uddhava Gita
2 “In people who have developed sattva
Religious principles and devotion
Abide naturally.
These become strengthened
Through practice.
3 Sattva then becomes more powerful
And subdues rajas and tamas.
As these are eventually completely overcome
All unrighteousness is destroyed.
6 To allow sattva to grow in oneself
One should nurture those things
That are sattvic in nature.
Only then will dharma become fixed
Within you.
From that proceed to Self-realization
In which you will once again know
Your own eternal and infinite nature.”
Krishna, Dialogue 8
~
The Bible
“But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Jesus, Matthew 6.23-24
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honourable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”
2 Timothy 2.21
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Philippians 4.8
~
Mahabharata
“I often saw him eat the remnants of other people’s food. One who has no regard for purity in one thing, will not have such regard in another.”
Brahmin Upayaja to Draupada
Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita
“The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; therefore, O son of Kunti, perform action for that sake, free from attachment.”
Krishna, 3.9
“Therefore without attachment, always perform action which should be done; for by performing action without attachment man reaches the Supreme.”
Krishna, 3.19
“Yogis, having abandoned attachment, perform actions only by the body, mind, intellect and even by the senses, for the purification of the self.”
Krishna, 5.10-11
“One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic; not he who lights no fire and performs no work.”
Krishna, 6.1
~
Mahabharata
“Some say that by renouncing our duties we shall achieve perfection, and others say that duties should never be renounced, but should be performed without attachment. My opinion concurs with this latter view, O Sanjaya.”
“Even to maintain himself a man must perform his duties in this world. Knowledge without work yields no fruit.”
“See how the gods in heaven shine through work, how through work the wind blows and the sleepless sun gives rise to day and night? Sleepless does the Earth goddess carry her load, and sleepless do the rivers carry their waters to satisfy all creatures.”
Krishna
~
Uddhava Gita
38 “As a disciple of this earth
I learned from its lofty mountains
That my movements should be guided
By the service and care of others.
As a disciple of this earth
I learned from its upright trees
That my life should be spent
In sweet dedication to the welfare of others.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 2
~
The Bible
“The greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Matthew 23.11
Steadfastness
Bhagavad Gita
“Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the irresolute.”
Krishna, 2.41
~
Uddhava Gita
37 “The earth taught me not to deviate
From the course that I set for myself ~
Just as it does not deviate
From its path around the sun.”
The brahmin, Dialogue 2
12 “The person who has begun
To set aside delusion and seek truth,
Does not yield to distraction
Though rajas and tamas rage within.
Such a person stays focused
On the quest for truth ~
Rather than rushing into folly.”
Krishna, Dialogue 8
~
The Bible
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Jesus, Matthew 24.13
Surrender
Uddhava Gita
7 “Whatever you see, hear or touch ~
Know that you cannot know it
For what it is.
Krishna, Dialogue 2
35 “To that Self, I, Pingala the prostitute,
Will now surrender.
And like the great goddess Lakshmi,
I shall be blissful
Only in the company of the Supreme.”
44 “Surrender mind, speech and prana to me.
Then you will attain your goal.”
Krishna, Dialogue 11
~
Mahabharata
“Actual happiness can only be found when one once again gives up all desire to be independent of God.”
Narada to the Pandavas
~
Tao Te Ching
“Things arise and she lets them come;
Things disappear and she lets them go.”
2
“If you want to be given everything,
Give everything up.”
22
“In pursuit of knowledge,
Every day something is added.
In pursuit of the Tao,
Every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
Until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
Nothing is left undone.
True mastery is gained
By letting things go their own way
It can’t be gained by interfering.”
48
Truth & Virtue
Mahabharata
“In all circumstances a virtuous man acts in obedience to God’s will. Auspiciousness and victory always attend virtue, while grief is the sure result of unrighteousness. Therefore, I cannot abandon my vow.”
Bhishma to Satyavati
“I shall not waver from truth. Truth is my weapon and virtue my strength.”
Arjuna to Yudishthira
“Do not doubt virtue because you do not see its results, Panchali. Without doubt the fruits will manifest in time, as will the fruits of sin. The fruits of true virtue are eternal and indestructible, leading one to the highest regions of happiness.”
Yudhisthira to Draupadi
“How, O Bhima, shall I now falsify my word for the sake of wealth? To me nothing is greater than truth. For a respectable person it is better to die than to transgress his word.”
Yudhisthira to Bhima
“Those who desire victory do not conquer by prowess, but by truth, compassion, piety and virtue. Fight with assurance, dear brother, for victory is always where righteousness is found.”
Arjuna to Yudhisthira
~
Krishnamurti
"Truth Frees, Not Your Desire to be Free."
~
The Bible
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Jesus, Matthew 5.3
“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.”
Jesus, Matthew 12.33
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
Romans 12.9
Wisdom
Bhagavad Gita
“The wise, possessed of knowledge, having abandoned the fruits of their actions, and being freed from the fetters of birth, go to the place which is beyond all evil.”
Krishna, 2.51
“When a man completely casts off, O Arjuna, all desires of the mind and is satisfied in the Self by the Self, then he is said to be one of steady wisdom.”
“He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.”
Krishna, 2.54-55
~
Uddhava Gita
9 “The wise,
Though still of the body,
Are no longer confined to it.
The wise do not identify
With the things of the dream.”
14 “The wise live a spontaneous life
Free from the need for scheming and planning.
With energy, mind and intellect
Focused on the one Reality that encompasses all,
The wise are transparent.”
17 “The wise
Will not think of speak of evil,
But will roam the world
With a mind fixed on the Self.”
Krishna, Dialogue 6
41 “A true sage
Is one who can distinguish
Between bondage and liberation.”
Krishna, Dialogue 14
26 “One who craves wisdom
Should avoid the company of the unwise
And seek association with the wise:
For it is their words that will sever
The attachment of the mind.”
Krishna, Dialogue 21
18 “Wisdom is the ability
To distinguish the real from the unreal.”
Krishna, Dialogue 23
~
Tao Te Ching
“Just realize where you come from:
this is the essence of wisdom.”
14