Summery of Chapter 3

Chapter 3 begins with Arjuna  asking Krishna why he has him engage in this terrible battle if he believes wisdom is better than action. 

Arjuna accuses Krishna of having equivocal words and causing confusion in his understanding. Arjuna implores Krishna to tell him without a doubt one way that will improve his circumstances. 

Krishna replies stating that improvement is two-fold, as previously declared by him. The ways are by the yoga of knowledge of the Samkhyas and the yoga of action of the practitioners of yoga. 

Krishna goes on to state:

Not from abstention of actions does a person attain freedom from karma and not from renunciation does one approach perfection. 

No one, even for an instant, ever stands not participating in karma. All are caused to perform action, irregardless of one's will, by the innate gunas. 

One who sits restraining the senses of action remembering the objects of the senses by the mind, is deluded and a hypocrite. 

But one who controls the senses by the mind with non-attachment commences the yoga of action by the senses of action. That one is superior. 

You must perform action. Action is better than inaction. Maintenance of the body should not be accomplished by inaction. 

Aside from the action done for the means of devotion, this world is bound by action. Free from attachment, you must accomplish action based on that means. 

Once upon a time, having created progeny together with devotion, Prajapati said, "By this you will bring forth! This will be your wish fulfilling cow."

By this you must cause the gods to be; they, the gods, must cause you to be. Causing each other to be, you shall attain the highest bliss. 

The devotion produced gods will give wished pleasures to you. With these wished pleasures, one who enjoys not giving gifts to the gods is a thief. 

The good who partake the remainder of devotion are liberated from all evils. But the evil ones who enjoy sin, they create sustenance from a position of self-interest. 

Beings exist from sustenance. The production of food is from rain. Rain exists from devotion. Devotion is produced from action. 

You must know action originates in Brahman and originating in the imperishable is Brahman. Therefore, the all pervading Brahman is established in devotion. 

One who does not cause the wheel to turn in this world is malicious and a sense-delighted one living vainly. 

But one who delights in the self, should be contented in the self. For a human content in the self, there is nothing found to be done. 

Of that one there is no aim with action and that one needs no support whatever from anyone. 

Therefore, unattached, perpetually you must perform required action. Unattached and performing action a person attains the highest. 

By action, Janaka and others attained perfection.  Observing the way of the world, one is able to do. 

Whatever that one does is most excellent, and this and that other person does whatever standard. The world follows that. 

Krishna advises Arjuna that, for him, nothing whatsoever is to be done in the three worlds and nothing not attained is to be attained. Nevertheless, Krishna engages in action. 

Krishna also stated, that even though he is unwearied, if he decided not to engage in action, all humankind would follow his path. 

If Krishna did not perform action, these worlds would perish. He would be a maker of confusion and would destroy creatures. 

As the unwise are attached performing action, so the wise one should perform unattached desirous to do the way of the world. 

One should not cause the fragmentation of wisdom in the ignorant attached to action. The wise one practicing union should cause them to enjoy all actions. 

Everywhere actions are being performed by the gunas of nature. The self confused by the ego thinks, "I am the doer."

But knowing the two rules of guna and action and having thought, "The gunas work in the gunas." One is not attached. 

Those who are bewildered by the gunas are attached in action by the gunas. The knower of the whole should not cause disturbance in the fools not knowing the whole.

Krishna states to Arjuna, "Having renounced all actions in me with the mind on the supreme, having become free from desires, one is without the "mine". Freed from distress of the mind, you must fight."

Faithful, non-spiteful humans who constantly practice this doctrine of mine, they are liberated, even by actions. 

But the indignant ones who do not practice this doctrine of mine, you must know them as lost, senseless, and confusing all knowledge. 

One acts according to one's own nature, even for one endowed with knowledge. Beings follow nature. What will restraint accomplish? 

Of the senses and the aim of the sense, of those two, passion and hatred abide. Of those two, one should not come to be subdued. Those two are dualities of the one. 

Better one's wicked duty than the good performed from the duty of another. Residence in one's duty is better than the overwhelming duty of another. 

Arjuna then asks, "Then impelled by what? Even not wishing, a person commits evil. Like instigated by a force. 

Krishna replied, "This desire and anger are rajas. Based in the guna is great consumption and great sin. Here you must know this enemy, rajas. 

Just as a person conveying an oblation is enveloped in smoke, mirror by dust, and just as an embryo is enveloped with a fetal membrane; just so, by that rajas, knowledge is covered. 

With that knowledge covered, the wise ones with the imperishable enemy in the form of desire and with matters belonging to Agni are difficult to satiate. 

It is said, the senses, mind, and intelligence are the abode of rajas, the imperishable enemy. By the senses, mind, and intelligence covering knowledge; confusion arises in the embodied one. 

Therefore, having restrained the senses, first, you must then kill this devil, a destroyer of knowledge and discrimination. 

They said, the senses are superior, the mind is superior to the senses, but intelligence is superior to the mind. But the self is superior to intelligence. 

Having learned the self is superior to intelligence and having composed the self by the self, you must destroy the enemy that is difficult to approach in the form of desire.