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Part XVIII: Renunciation and Freedom.1495
“Listen thou, Arjuna, while I informeth thee how Perfection is gained by
him who is intent upon his own duty, and who is faithful in the performance
thereof.
“He who worketh to his best, in the line of his duty, and then offereth
his work, and labor, and Duty, as a sacrifice to The Absolute Spirit, from
which proceedeth all the principles of Nature, Life, and the Universe, and
from which is spread out the Universal Life in all of its forms and shapes and
degrees of manifestation—he that worketh and who performeth his Duty in
that spirit, verily I say unto thee, that man obtaineth Perfection by reason of
such service and sacrifice. This is the Supreme Sacrifice of Life, which each
man must offer to the Supreme Source of Life.
“Far better it is for one to perform his own Duty in the world, even though
that work be lowly, and possessing faults, than the Duty of another, though
the work be great and well performed. He who doeth the Duty and work
established and indicated by his own nature, and character, erreth not.
He who follows Nature’s guidance in this, doeth well. Natural inclination
toward occupation and manner of life, when coupled with ability for its
performance, is worthy of performance, and thus becometh Duty. And then,
let all remember, that every calling, or occupation, or duty, or manner or
class of life, hath its painful side and its drawbacks and hindrances. Let all
remember that every fire hath its smoke, and that it is folly to vainly imagine
that one’s own task is the hardest, and that the tasks of others are free from
defects and hardships.
“One who hath a mind unattached, and unaffected by the pairs of
opposites—whose mind is controlled, and whose Personal Self is mastered—
whose desires are dead—he hath by Renunciation acquired the Highest
Perfection of Freedom. He hath gained Freedom from Work, by the
performance of Work without Desire for Fruits. Listen, now, while I inform
thou how such an one, having gained this Perfection, may enter into the
Eternal Bliss.