ruction. The knowledge of a man is enwrapped with
desire as is fire with smoke. Great are the senses; greater, the mind;
greater still, the understanding; greatest of all is 'That'"
(_brahma_; as above in the _Ch[=a]ndogya)._ The Deity begins again:[5]
"This system of devotion I declared to Vivasvant (the sun); Vivasvant
declared it to Manu, and Manu to kingly seers." (The same origin is
claimed for itself in Manu's lawbook.) The knight objects, not yet
knowing that Krishna is the All-god: "How did'st thou declare it
first? thy birth is later than the sun's." To whom the Deity: "Many
are my births, and I know them all; many too are thine, but thou
knowest them not; unborn and Lord of all creatures I assume phenomena,
and am born by the illusion of the spirit. Whenever there is lack of
righteousness, and wrong arises, then I emit (create) myself.[6] I am
born age after age for the protection of the good, for the destruction
of the wicked, and for the sake of establishing righteousness. Whoso
really believes in this my divine birth and work, he, when he has
abandoned his body, enters no second birth, but enters Me. Many there
are who, from Me arising, on Me relying, purified by the penance of
knowledge, with all affections, fear, and anger gone, enter into my
being. As they approach Me so I serve them.[7] Men in all ways follow
after my path. Some desire the success that is of action, and worship
gods; for success that is born of action is speedy in the world of
men. Know Me as the maker of the four castes, know Me as the unending
one and not the maker. Action stains Me not, for in the fruit of
action I have no desire. He that thus knows Me is not bound by
acts.[8] So he that has no attachment is not bound by acts. His acts
become naught. _Brahma_ is the oblation, and with _brahma_ is it
offered; _brahma_ is in the fire, and by _brahma_ is the oblation
made. Sacrifices are of many kinds, but he that sacrifices with
knowledge offers the best sacrifice. He that has faith has knowledge;
he that has knowledge obtains peace. He that has no knowledge and no
faith, whose soul is one of doubt, is destroyed. Action does not
destroy him that has renounced action by means of indifference. Of the
two, renunciation of action and indifference, though both give bliss,
indifference in action is better than renunciation of action.
Children, not Pundits, proclaim S[=a]nkhya and Yoga to be distinct. He
that is devoted to either alone finds t