Be beyond all opposites, Arjuna:
anchored in the real, and free
from all thoughts of wealth and comfort.
As unnecessary as a well is
to a village on the banks of a river,
so unnecessary are all scriptures
to someone who has seen the truth.
You have a right to your actions,
but never to your actions' fruits.
Act for the action's sake.
And do not be attached to inaction.
Self-possessed, resolute, act
without any thought of results,
open to success or failure.
The equanimity is yoga.
Action is far inferior
to the yoga of insight, Arjuna.
Pitiful are those who, acting,
are attached to their action's fruits.
The wise man lets go of all
results, whether good or bad,
and is focused on the action alone.
Yoga is skill in actions.
The wise man whose insight is firm,
relinquishing the fruits of action,
is freed from the bondage of rebirth
and attains the place beyond sorrow.
When your understanding has passed
beyond the thicket of delusions,
there is nothing you need to learn
from even the most sacred scripture.
