THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

168 The Harmony of Virtueaction and action in inaction, he is the wise among men, he doesall actions with a soul in union with God.”From this lofty platform the great creed rises to its crowningideas, for since we must act, but neither for any human orfuture results of action nor for the sake of the action itself, andyet action must have some goal to which it is devoted, there isno goal left but God. We must then devote our actions to Godand through that rise to complete surrender of the personality tohim, whether in the idea of him manifest through Yoga or theidea of him unmanifest through God-Knowledge. “They whoworship Me as the imperishable, illimitable, unmanifest, controllingall the organs, one-minded to all things, they doing good toall creatures attain to Me. But far greater is their pain of endeavourwhose hearts cleave to the Unmanifest, for hardly canthe salvation in the unmanifest be attained by men that have abody. But they who reposing all actions in Me, to Me devotedcontemplate and worship Me in single-minded Yoga, speedily doI become their saviour from the gulf of death and the world, fortheir hearts, O Partha, have entered into Me. On Me repose thymind, pour into Me thy reason, in Me wilt thou then have thydwelling, doubt it not. Yet if thou canst not steadfastly reposethy mind in Me, desire, O Dhananjaya, to reach Me by Yogathrough askesis. If that too thou canst not, devote thyself to actionsfor Me, since also by doing actions for My sake thou wiltattain to thy soul's perfection. If even for this thou art too feeble,then abiding in Yoga with Me with a soul subdued abandonutterly desire for the fruits of action. Far better than askesis isknowledge and better than knowledge is concentration and betterthan concentration is renunciation of the fruit of deeds, foron such renunciation followeth the soul's peace.” 1 Such is theladder which Vyasa has represented Krishna as building up toGod with action for its firm and sole basis. If it is questionedwhether the Bhagavadgita is the work of Vyasa (whether he beKrishna of the Island is another question to be settled on its ownmerits), I answer that there is nothing to disprove his authorship,while on the other hand, allowing for the exigencies of1Bhagavadgita, XII. 3-12.