Classic Poem

Arjuna said:

"How shall I in battle against Bhisma,
And Drona, O Slayer of Madhu,
Fight with arrows,
Who are both worthy of reverence, Slayer of Enemies?

"For not slaying my revered elders of great dignity
'Twere better to eat alms-food, even, in this world;
But having slain my elders who seek their ends, right in this world
I should eat food smeared with blood.

"And we know not which of the two were better for us,
Whether we should conquer, or they should conquer us;
What very ones having slain we wish not to live,
They are arrayed in front of us, Dhrtarastra's men.

"My very being afflicted with the taint of weak compassion,
I ask Thee, my mind bewildered as to the right:
Which were better, that tell me definitely;
I am Thy pupil, teach me that have come to Thee (for instruction).

"For I see not what would dispel my
Grief, the witherer of the senses,
If I attained on earth rivalless, prosperous
Kingship, and even the overlordship of the gods."

The Blessed One said:

"Thou hast mourned those who should not be mourned,
And (yet) thou speakest words about wisdom!
Dead and living men
The (truly) learned do not mourn.

"But not in any respect was I (ever) not,
Nor thou, nor these kings;
And not at all shall we ever come not to be,
All of us, henceforward

"As to the embodied (soul) in this body
Come childhood, youth, old age,
So the coming to another body;
The wise man is not confused herein.

"But contacts with matter, son of Kunti,
Cause cold and heat, pleasure and pain;
They come and go, and are impermanent;
Put up with them, son of Bharata!

"For whom these (contacts) do not cause to waver,
The man, O bull of men,
To whom pain and pleasure are alike, the wise,
He is fit for immortality.

"Of what is not, no coming to be occurs;
No coming not to be occurs of what is;
But the dividing-line of both is seen,
Of these two, by those who see the truth.

"But know that that is indestructible,
By which this all is pervaded;
Destruction of this imperishable one
No one can cause.

"These bodies come to an end,
It is declared, of the eternal embodied (soul),
Which is indestructible and unfathomable.
Therefore fight, son of Bharata!

"Who believes him a slayer,
And who thinks him slain,
Both these understand not:
He slays not, is not slain.

"He is not born, nor does he ever die;
Nor, having come to be, will he ever more come not to be.
Unborn, eternal, everlasting, this ancient one
Is not slain when the body is slain.

"Who knows as indestructible and eternal
This unborn, imperishable one,
That man, son of Prtha, how
Can he slay or cause to slay--whom?

"As leaving aside worn-out garments
A man takes other, new ones,
So leaving aside worn-out bodies
To other, new ones goes the embodied (soul).

"Swords cut him not,
Fire burns him not,
Water wets him not,
Wind dries him not.

"Not to be cut is he, not to be burnt is he,
Not to be wet nor yet dried;
Eternal, omnipresent, fixed,
Immovable, everlasting is he.

"Unmanifest he, unthinkable he,
Unchangeable he is declared to be;
Therefore knowing him thus
Thou shouldst not mourn him.

"Moreover, even if constantly born
Or constantly dying thou considerest him,
Even so, great-armed one, thou
Shouldst not mourn him.

"For to one that is born death is certain,
And birth is certain for one that has died;
Therefore, the thing being unavoidable,
Thou shouldst not mourn."