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Part II: The Inner Doctrine.1403
“Know thou, O Prince of Pandu, that there never was a time when I, nor
thou, nor any of these princes of earth was not; nor shall there ever come a
time, hereafter, when any of us shall cease to be.
“As the soul, wearing this material body, experienceth the stages of
infancy, youth, manhood, and old age, even so shall it, in due time, pass on
to another body, and in other incarnations shall it again live, and move and
play its part. Those who have attained the wisdom of the Inner Doctrine,
know these things, and fail to be moved by aught that cometh to pass in this
world of change; to such Life and Death are but words, and both are but
surface aspects of the deeper Being.
“The senses, through their appropriate faculties of the mind, give thee
reports of cold and heat, pleasure and pain. But these changes come and
go; they are shifting, transient and inconstant. Bear them with equanimity,
bravely and patiently, O Prince.
“For, verily I say unto you, that the man whom these things have ceased
to further torment—he who stands steadfast, undisturbed by pleasure and
pain—he to whom all things seem alike—such an one, say I, hath acquired
the road to Immortality.
“That which is unreal hath no shadow of Real Being, notwithstanding the
illusion of appearance and false knowledge. And that which hath Real Being
hath never ceased to be—can never cease to be, in spite of all appearances
to the contrary. The wise have inquired into these things, O Arjuna, and
have discovered the real Essence, and Inner Meaning of things.
“Know that The Absolute, which pervades all things, is indestructible. No
one can work the destruction of the Imperishable One.
“These bodies, which act as enveloping coverings for the souls occupying
them, are but finite things of the moment—and not the Real Man at all. They
perish as all finite things perish. Let them perish. Up, O Prince of Pandu,
knowing these things, prepare to fight!
“He who in his ignorance thinketh: ‘I slay,’ or ‘I am slain,’ babbleth like an
infant lacking knowledge. Of a truth, none can slay—none can be slain.