By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from me how this can be done.
By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all- pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.
It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Prescribed duties, according to one's nature, are never affected by sinful reactions.
Every endeavour is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.
One can obtain the results of renunciation simply by self-control and by becoming unattached to material things and disregarding material enjoyments. That is the highest perfectional stage of renunciation.
O son of Kunti, learn from me in brief how one can attain to the supreme perfectional stage, Brahman, by acting in the way I shall now summarize.
Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification; being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little and who controls the body and the tongue, and is always in trance and is detached, who is without false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and who does not accept material things, such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.
One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto me. | |