A Song of Fortune - A Classical Gita: Chapter 15

(1) The fortunate one said: 'He who knows that the tree of life is an eternal tree with its roots upwards, its branches downwards and of which the leaves are the âtmatattva songs²⁸, is someone who knows the culture of knowledge of the Vedas. (2) This tree extending downwards and upwards, developed to its twigs downward the domain of the senses and to its roots the karma which binds one to the human world. (3-4) The form of this tree has no beginning or end, nor a foundation that can be perceived out here; persevering with the weapon of detachment must one be of cessation with this deeply rooted tree. After having renounced with that tree of life, must one figure out where that place is one is heading for and from where one never returns, and surrender to Him, the original personal integrity and animating principle²⁹, from whom, and from which, everything extended since the earliest days of the universe. (5) That everlasting refuge is attained when one, not being bewildered, is free from self-importance and illusion, has defeated bad association, understands what lasts forever, and when one has dissociated oneself from the lust and has freed oneself from the dualities under the heading of happiness and distress. (6) Going for that superior place of mine, which is not lit by the sun, the moon or by lamps, one never returns. (7) Living a conditioned life, with the mind as the sixth sense, is the individual living being, struggling hard in its material position, an eternal part of me. (8) It is as the controller of the body it obtained and also has to give up, in all of that carried along like a fragrance by the wind is from its source. (9) With its hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling and also minding is it ruled by the objects of the senses. (10) The notion of having a body, quitting a body and, under the spell of the modes, enjoying a body is something that the foolish don't understand, but those who share the âtmatattva vision do understand this. (11) Those who endeavor and unify in the consciousness, realize it from within their soul, but those endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul, do not have this vision, however developed their minds are.

(12) The splendor you see in the light of the sun which illumines the entire world, as also in the light of the moon and the fire, you should understand to be from me. (13) With my ethereal energy I permeate this earth and sustain these living beings, and as their life-juice do I, by my appearance in the form of the moon, nourish all the plants. (14) As the fire of digestion within the bodies of all living beings, I maintain the balance between the in- and outgoing breath, while I digest the four types of foodstuff.³⁰(15) Residing in the heart of all beings have they from me their remembrance, knowledge and reason. It is by the sacred scriptures that I am known; I'm their doctrine and the knowledge of their meaning.

(16) There are these integrities of service in this world: the perishable and the imperishable one; the service of all the living beings is perishable but the service of the stationary and constant integrity of the multitude of the natural order is known to be imperishable. (17) The highest integrity of service is another service, viz. the service of the supreme self of the Lord of whom one says that He, pervading the three departments of the world¹⁸, is the inexhaustible maintainer. (18) Because I, relative to the perishable, am transcendental and, relative to the imperishable, are the best, am I in the world and in the sacred literatures celebrated as the Supreme Personality. (19) Anyone who, free from doubt, knows about me as being that Supreme Personality, knows all there is to know, and will serve me any way he can, o descendant of Bharata. (20) Understanding this most confidential part of the revealed scripture I now disclosed, o sinless one, becomes one intelligent and will one find perfection in one's line of work, o descendant of Bharata.'