How matter, and what deals with it, divide;
And how the Spirit and the flesh have strife,
These wise ones go the way which leads to Life!
Here ends Chapter XIII. of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ,
entitled “Kshetrakshetrajnavibhâgayôgô,”
or “The Book of Religion by Sepa-
ration of Matter and Spirit”
Note 1. The Calcutta edition of the Mahábhárata has these opening lines.
Note 2. This is the nearest possible version of
Kshetrakshetrajnayojnánan yat tagjnán matan mama.
Note 3. I omit two lines of the Sanskrit here, evidently interpolated by some Vedantist.
Note 4. Wombs.
Chapter XIV
KRISHNA:
YET father will I open unto thee
This wisdom of all wisdoms, uttermost,
The which possessing, all My saints have passed
To perfectness. On these high verities
Reliant, rising into fellowship
With Me, they are not born again at birth
Of Kalpas, nor at Pralyas suffer change!
This Universe the Womb is where I plant
Seed of all lives! Thence, Prince of India comes
Birth to all beings! Whoso, Kunti’s Son!
Mothers each mortal form, Brahma conceives,
And I am He that fathers, sending seed!
Sattwan, Rajas, and Tamas, so are named,
The qualities of Nature, “Soothfastness,”
“Passion,” and “Ignorance.” These three bind down
The changeless Spirit in the changeful flesh.
Whereof sweet “Soothfastness”—by purity
Living unsullied and enlightened—binds
The sinless Soul to happiness and truth;
And Passion, being kin to appetite,
And breeding impulse and propensity,
Binds the embodied Soul, O Kunti’s Son!
By tie of works. But Ignorance, the child
Of Darkness, blinding mortal men, binds down
Their souls to stupor, sloth, and drowsiness.
Yea, Prince of India! Soothfastness binds souls
In pleasant wise to flesh; and Passion binds
By toilsome strain; but Ignorance, which blots
The beams of wisdom, binds the soul to sloth
Passion and Ignorance, once overcome,
Leave Soothfastness, O Bharata! Where this
With Ignorance are absent, Passion rules;
And Ignorance in hearts not good nor quick.
When at all gateways of the Body shines
The Lamp of Knowledge, then may one see well
Soothfastness settled in that city reigns;
Where longing is, and ardor, and unrest,
Impulse to strive and gain, and avarice,
Those spring from Passion—Prince!—engrained; and where
Darkness and dulness, sloth and stupor are,
’Tis Ignorance hath caused them, Kuru Chief!
Moreover, when a soul departeth, fixed
In Soothfastness, it goeth to the place—
Perfect and pure—of those that know all Truth
If it departeth in set hebetude
Of impulse, it shall go into the world
Of spirits tied to works; and, if it dies
In hardened Ignorance, that blinded soul
Is born anew in some unlighted womb.
The fruit of Soothfastness is true and sweet;
The fruit of lusts is pain and toil; the fruit
Of Ignorance is deeper darkness. Yea!
For Light brings light, and Passion ache to have.
Blindness, bewilderments, and ignorance
Grow forth from Ignorance. Those of the first
Rise ever higher; those of the second mode
Take a mid place; the darkened souls sink back
To lower deeps, loaded with witlessness!
When, watching life, the living man perceives
The only actors are the Qualities,
And knows what lives beyond the Qualities,
Then is he come nigh unto Me!
The Soul,
Thus passing forth from the Three Qualities—
Whereof arise all bodies—overcomes
Birth, Death, Sorrow, and Age; and drinketh deep
The undying wine of Amrit.
ARJUNA:
Oh, my Lord!
Which be the signs to know him that hath gone
Past the Three Modes— How liveth he— What way
Leadeth him safe beyond the threefold modes—
KRISHNA:
He who with equanimity surveys
Lustre of goodness, strife of passion, sloth
Of ignorance, not angry if they are,
Not angry when they are not: he who sits
A sojourner and stranger in their midst
Unruffled, standing off, saying—serene—
When troubles break, “These are the Qualities!”
He unto whom—self-centred—grief and joy
Sound as one word; to whose deep-seeing eyes
The clod, the marble, and the gold are one;
Whose equal heart holds the same gentleness
For lovely and unlovely things, firm-set,
Well-pleased in praise and dispraise; satisfied
With honor or dishonor; unto friends
And unto foes alike in tolerance,
Detached from undertakings,—he is named
Surmounter of the Qualities!
And such—
With single, fervent faith adoring Me,
Passing beyond the Qualities, conforms
To Brahma, and attains Me!
For I am
That whereof Brahma is the likeness! Mine
The Amrit is; and Immortality
Is mine; and mine perfect Felicity!
Here ends Chapter XIV. of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ,
entitled “Gunatrayavibhâgayôgô,” or “The
Book of Religion by Separation
from the Qualities”
Chapter XV
KRISHNA:
MEN call the Aswattha,—the Banyan-tree,—
Which hath its boughs beneath, its roots on high,—
The ever-holy tree. Yea! for its leaves
Are green and waving hymns which whisper Truth!
Who knoweth well the Aswattha, knows all.
Its branches shoot to heaven and sink to earth, 1
Even as the deeds of men, which take their birth
From qualities: its silver sprays and blooms,
And all the eager verdure of its girth,
Leap to quick life at touch of sun and air,
As men’s lives quicken to the temptings fair
Of wooing sense: its hanging rootlets seek
The soil beneath, helping to hold it there,
As actions wrought amid this world of men
Bind them by ever-tightening bonds again.
If ye knew well the teaching of the Tree,
What its shape saith; and whence it springs; and, then
How it must end, and all the ills of it,
The axe of sharp Detachment ye would whet,
And cleave the clinging snaky roots, and lay
This Aswattha of sense-like low,—to set
New growths upspringing to that happier sky,—
Which they who reach shall have no day to die,
Nor fade away, nor fall—to Him, I mean,
FATHER and FIRST, Who made the mystery
Of old Creation; for to Him come they
From passion and from dreams who break away;
Who part the bonds constraining them to flesh,
And,—Him, the Highest, worshipping alway—
No longer grow at mercy of what breeze
Of summer pleasure stirs the sleeping trees,
What blast of tempest tears them, bough and stem
To the eternal world pass such as these!
Another Sun gleams there! another Moon!
Another Light,—a Light which none shall lack
Whose eyes once see; for those return no more
They have attained My Uttermost Abode!
When, in this world of manifested life,
The undying Spirit, setting forth from Me,
Taketh on form, it draweth to itself
From Being’s storehouse,—which containeth all,—
Senses and intellect. The Sovereign Soul
Thus entering the flesh, or quitting it,
Gathers these up, as the wind gathers scents,
Blowing above the flower-banks. Ear and Eye,
And Touch and Taste, and Smelling, these it takes,—
Yea, and a sentient mind;—linking itself
To sense-things so.
The unenlightened ones
Mark not that Spirit when he goes or comes,
Nor when he takes his pleasure in the form,
Conjoined with qualities; but those see plain
Who have the eyes to see. Holy souls see
Which strive thereto. Enlightened, they behold
That Spirit in themselves; but foolish ones,
Even though they strive, discern not, having hearts
Unkindled, ill-informed!
Know, too, from Me
Shineth the gathered glory of the sun
Which lightens all the world: from Me the moon
Draws silvery beams, and fire fierce loveliness.
I penetrate the clay, and lend all shapes
Their living force; I glide into the plant—
Its root, leaf, bloom—to make the woodland green
With springing sap. Becoming vital warmth,
I glow in glad, respiring frames, and pass
With outward and with inward breath to feed
The body with all meats. 2
For in this world
Being is twofold: the Divided, one;
The Undivided, one. All things that live
Are “the Divided.” That which sits apart,
“The Undivided.”
Higher still is ONE,
The Highest, holding all whose Name is LORD,
The Eternal, Sovereign, First! Who fills all worlds,
Sustaining them. And—dwelling thus beyond
Divided Life and Undivided—I
Am called of men and Vedas, God Supreme,
The PURUSHOTTAMA.
Who knows Me thus,
With mind unclouded, knoweth all, dear Prince!
And with his whole soul ever worshippeth Me.
Now is the sacred secret Mystery
Declared to thee! Who comprehendeth this
Hath wisdom! He is quit of works in bliss!
Here ends Chapter XV. of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ
entitled “Purushottamapraptiyôgô,”
or “The Book of Religion by
attaining the Supreme”
Note 1. I do not consider these verses—which are somewhat freely rendered here—“an attack on the authority of the Vedas,” but a beautiful lyrical episode, a new “Parable of the fig-tree.”
Note 2. I omit a verse here, evidently interpolated.
Chapter XVI
KRISHNA:
FEARLESSNESS, singleness of soul, the will
Always to strive for wisdom; opened hand
And governed appetites; and piety
And love of lonely study; humbleness,
Uprightness, heed to injure nought which lives,
Truthfulness, slowness unto wrath, a mind
That lightly letteth go what others prize;
And equanimity, and charity
Which spieth no man’s faults; and tenderness
Towards all that suffer; a contented heart,
Fluttered by no desires; a bearing mild,
Modest, and grave, with manhood nobly mixed
With patience, fortitude, and purity;
An unrevengeful spirit, never given
To rate itself too high;—such be the signs,
O Indian Prince! of him whose feet are set
On that fair path which leads to heavenly birth!
Deceitfulness, and arrogance, and pride,
Quickness to anger, harsh and evil speech,
And ignorance, to its own darkness blind,—
These be the signs, My Prince! of him whose birth
Is fated for the regions of the vile. 1
The Heavenly Birth brings to deliverance,
So should’st thou know! The birth with Asuras
Brings into bondage. Be thou joyous, Prince
Whose lot is set apart for heavenly Birth.
Two stamps there are marked on all living men,
Divine and Undivine; I spake to thee
By what marks thou shouldst know the Heavenly Man,
Hear from me now of the Unheavenly!
They comprehend not, the Unheavenly,
How souls go forth from Me; nor how they come
Back unto Me: nor is there Truth in these,
Nor purity, nor rule of Life. “This world
Hath not a Law, nor Order, nor a Lord,”
So say they: “nor hath risen up by Cause
Following on Cause, in perfect purposing,
But is none other than a House of Lust.”
And, this thing thinking, all those ruined ones—
Of little wit, dark-minded—give themselves
To evil deeds, the curses of their kind.
Surrendered to desires insatiable,
Full of deceitfulness, folly, and pride,
In blindness cleaving to their errors, caught
Into the sinful course, they trust this lie
As it were true—this lie which leads to death—
Finding in Pleasure all the good which is,
And crying “Here it finisheth!”
Ensnared
In nooses of a hundred idle hopes,
Slaves to their passion and their wrath, they buy
Wealth with base deeds, to glut hot appetites;
“Thus much, to-day,” they say, “we gained! thereby
Such and such wish of heart shall have its fill;
And this is ours! and th’ other shall be ours!
To-day we slew a foe, and we will slay
Our other enemy to-morrow! Look!
Are we not lords— Make we not goodly cheer—
Is not our fortune famous, brave, and great—
Rich are we, proudly born! What other men
Live like to us— Kill, then, for sacrifice!
Cast largesse, and be merry!” So they speak
Darkened by ignorance; and so they fall—
Tossed to and fro with projects, tricked, and bound
In net of black delusion, lost in lusts—
Down to foul Naraka. Conceited, fond,
Stubborn and proud, dead-drunken with the wine
Of wealth, and reckless, all their offerings
Have but a show of reverence, being not made
In piety of ancient faith. Thus vowed
To self-hood, force, insolence, feasting, wrath,
These My blasphemers, in the forms they wear
And in the forms they breed, my foemen are,
Hateful and hating; cruel, evil, vile,
Lowest and least of men, whom I cast down
Again, and yet again, at end of lives,
Into some devilish womb, whence—birth by birth—
The devilish wombs re-spawn them, all beguiled;
And, till they find and worship Me, sweet Prince!
Tread they that Nether Road.
The Doors of Hell
Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass,—
The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door
Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!
He who shall turn aside from entering
All those three gates of Narak, wendeth straight
To find his peace, and comes to Swarga’s gate. 2
Here endeth Chapter XVI. of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ,
entitled “Daivasarasaupadwibhâgayôg,” or
“The Book of the Separateness of the
Divine and Undivine”
Note 1. “Of the Asuras,” lit.
Note 2. I omit the ten concluding shlokas, with Mr. Davies.
Chapter XVII
ARJUNA:
IF men forsake the holy ordinance,
Heedless of Shastras, yet keep faith at heart
And worship, what shall be the state of those,
Great Krishna! Sattwan, Rajas, Tamas— Say!
KRISHNA:
Threefold the faith is of mankind, and springs
From those three qualities,—becoming “true,”
Or “passion-stained,” or “dark,” as thou shalt hear!
The faith of each believer, Indian Prince!
Conforms itself to what he truly is.
Where thou shalt see a worshiper, that one
To what he worships lives assimilate,
[Such as the shrine, so is the votary,]
The “soothfast” souls adore true gods; the souls
Obeying Rajas worship Rakshasas 1
Or Yakshas; and the men of Darkness pray
To Pretas and to Bhutas. 2 Yea, and those
Who practise bitter penance, not enjoined
By rightful rule—penance which hath its root
In self-sufficient, proud hypocrisies—
Those men, passion-beset, violent, wild,
Torturing—the witless ones—My elements
Shut in fair company within their flesh,
(Nay, Me myself, present within the flesh!)
Know them to devils devoted, not to Heaven!
For like as foods are threefold for mankind
In nourishing, so is there threefold way
Of worship, abstinence, and almsgiving!
Hear this of Me! there is a food which brings
Force, substance, strength, and health, and joy to live,
Being well-seasoned, cordial comforting,
The “Soothfast” meat. And there be foods which bring
Aches and unrests, and burning blood, and grief,
Being too biting, heating, salt, and sharp,
And therefore craved by too strong appetite
And there is foul food—kept from over-night, 3
Savorless, filthy, which the foul will eat,
A feast of rottenness, meet for the lips
Of such as love the “Darkness.”
Thus with rites;—
A sacrifice not for rewardment made,
Offered in rightful wise, when he who vows
Sayeth, with heart devout, “This I should do!”
Is “Soothfast” rite. But sacrifice for gain,
Offered for good repute, be sure that this,
O Best of Bharatas! is Rajas-rite,
With stamp of “passion.” And a scarifice
Offered against the laws, with no due dole
Of food-giving, with no accompaniment
Of hallowed hymn, nor largesse to the priests,
In faithless celebration, call it vile.
The deed of “Darkness!”—lost!
Worship of gods
Meriting worship; lowly reverence
Of Twice-borns, Teachers, Elders; Purity,
Rectitude, and the Brahmacharya’s vow,
And not to injure any helpless thing,—
These make a true religiousness of Act.
Words causing no man woe, words ever true,
Gentle and pleasing words, and those ye say
In murmured reading of a Sacred Writ,—
These make the true religiousness of Speech.
Serenity of soul, benignity,
Sway of the silent Spirit, constant stress
To sanctify the Nature,—these things make
Good rite, and true religiousness of Mind.
Such threefold faith, in highest piety
Kept, with no hope of gain, by hearts devote,
Is perfect work of Sattwan, true belief.
Religion shown in act of proud display
To win good entertainment, worship, fame,
Such—say I—is of Rajas, rash and vain.
Religion followed by a witless will
To torture self, or come at power to hurt
Another,—’tis of Tamas, dark and ill.
The gift lovingly given, when one shall say
“Now must I gladly give!” when he who takes
Can render nothing back; made in due place,
Due time, and to a meet recipient,
Is gift of Sattwan, fair and profitable.
The gift selfishly given, where to receive
Is hoped again, or when some end is sought,
Or where the gift is proffered with a grudge,
This is of Rajas, stained with impulse, ill.
The gift churlishly flung, at evil time,
In wrongful place, to base recipient,
Made in disdain or harsh unkindliness,
Is gift of Tamas, dark; it doth not bless! 4
Here endeth Chapter XVII. of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ,
entitled “Sraddhatrayavibhâgayôg,” or
“The Book of Religion by the Threefold
Kinds of Faith”
Note 1. Rakshasas and Yakshas are unembodied but capricious beings of great power, gifts, and beauty, sometimes also of benignity.
Note 2. These are spirits of evil, wandering ghosts.
Note 3. Yâtayaman, food which has remained after the watches of the night. In India this would probably “go bad.”
Note 4. I omit the concluding shlokas, as of very doubtful authenticity.
Chapter XVIII
ARJUNA:
FAIN would I better know, Thou Glorious One!
The very truth—Heart’s Lord!—of Sannyâs,
Abstention; and Renunciation, Lord!
Tyâ and what separates these twain!
KRISHNA:
The poets rightly teach that Sannyâs
Is the foregoing of all acts which spring
Out of desire; and their wisest say
Tyâga is renouncing fruit of acts.
There be among the saints some who have held
All action sinful, and to be renounced;
And some who answer “Nay! the goodly acts—
As worship, penance, alms—must be performed!”
Hear now My sentence, Best of Bharatas!
’Tis well set forth, O Chaser of thy Foes!
Renunciation is of threefold form,
And Worship, Penance, Alms, not to be stayed;
Nay, to be gladly done; for all those three
Are purifying waters for true souls!
Yet must be practised even those high works
In yielding up attachment, and all fruit
Produced by works. This is My judgment, Prince!
This My insuperable and fixed decree!
Abstaining from a work by right prescribed
Never is meet! So to abstain doth spring
From “Darkness,” and Delusion teacheth it.
Abstaining from a work grievous to flesh,
When one saith “’Tis unpleasing!” this is null!
Such an one acts from “passion;” nought of gain
Wins his Renunciation! But, Arjun!
Abstaining from attachment to the work,
Abstaining from rewardment in the work,
While yet one doeth it full faithfully,
Saying, “’Tis right to do!” that is “true” act
And abstinence! Who doeth duties so,
Unvexed if his work fail, if it succeed
Unflattered, in his own heart justified,
Quit of debates and doubts, his is “true” act:
For, being in the body, none may stand
Wholly aloof from act; yet, who abstains
From profit of his acts is abstinent.
The fruit of labors, in the lives to come,
Is threefold for all men,—Desirable,
And Undesirable, and mixed of both;
But no fruit is at all where no work was.
Hear from me, Long-armed Lord! the makings five
Which go to every act, in Sânkhya taught
As necessary. First the force; and then
The agent; next, the various instruments;
Fourth, the especial effort; fifth, the God.
What work soever any mortal doth
Of body, mind, or speech, evil or good,
By these five doth he that. Which being thus,
Whoso, for lack of knowledge, seeth himself
As the sole actor, knoweth nought at all
And seeth nought. Therefore, I say, if one—
Holding aloof from self—with unstained mind
Should slay all yonder host, being bid to slay,
He doth not slay; he is not bound thereby!
Knowledge, the thing known, and the mind which knows,
These make the threefold starting-ground of act.
The act, the actor, and the instrument,
These make the threefold total of the deed.
But knowledge, agent, act, are differenced
By three dividing qualities. Hear now
Which be the qualities dividing them.
There is “true” Knowledge. Learn thou it is this!
To see one changeless Life in all the Lives,
And in the Separate, One Inseparable.
There is imperfect Knowledge: that which sees
The separate existences apart,
And, being separated, holds them real.
There is false Knowledge: that which blindly clings
To one as if ’twere all, seeking no Cause,
Deprived of light, narrow, and dull, and “dark.”
There is “right” Action: that which—being enjoined—
Is wrought without attachment, passionlessly,
For duty, not for love, nor hate, nor gain.
There is “vain” Action: that which men pursue
Aching to satisfy desires, impelled
By sense of self, with all-absorbing stress:
This is of Rajas—passionate and vain.
There is “dark” Action: when one doth a thing
Heedless of issues, heedless of the hurt
Or wrong for others, heedless if he harm
His own soul—’tis of Tamas, black and bad!
There is the “rightful” doer. He who acts
Free from selfseeking, humble, resolute,
Steadfast, in good or evil hap the same,
Content to do aright—he “truly” acts.
There is th’ “impassioned” doer. He that works
From impulse seeking profit, rude and bold
To overcome, unchastened; slave by turns
Of sorrow and of joy: of Rajas he!
And there be evil doers; loose of heart,
Low-minded, stubborn, fraudulent, remiss,
Dull, slow, despondent—children of the “dark.”
Hear, too, of Intellect and Steadfastness
The threefold separation, Conqueror-Prince!
How these are set apart by Qualities.
Good is the Intellect which comprehends
The coming forth and going back of life,
What must be done, and what must not be done,
What should be feared, and what should not be feared,
What binds and what emancipates the soul:
That is of Sattwan, Prince! of “soothfastness.”
Marred is the Intellect which, knowing right
And knowing wrong, and what is well to do
And what must not be done, yet understands
Nought with firm mind, nor as the calm truth is:
This is of Rajas, Prince! and “passionate!”
Evil is Intellect which, wrapped in gloom,
Looks upon wrong as right, and sees all things
Contrariwise of Truth. O Pritha’s Son!
That is of Tamas, “dark” and desperate!
Good is the steadfastness whereby a man
Masters his beats of heart, his very breath
Of life, the action of his senses; fixed
In never-shaken faith and piety:
That is of Sattwan, Prince! “soothfast” and fair!
Stained is the steadfastness whereby a man
Holds to his duty, purpose, effort, end,
For life’s sake, and the love of goods to gain,
Arjuna! ’tis of Rajas, passion-stamped!
Sad is the steadfastness wherewith the fool
Cleaves to his sloth, his sorrow, and his fears,
His folly and despair. This—Pritha’s Son!—
Is born of Tamas, “dark” and miserable!
Hear further, Chief of Bharatas! from Me
The threefold kinds of Pleasure which there be.
Good Pleasure is the pleasure that endures,
Banishing pain for aye; bitter at first
As poison to the soul, but afterward
Sweet as the taste of Amrit. Drink of that!
It springeth in the Spirit’s deep content.
And painful Pleasure springeth from the bond
Between the senses and the sense-world. Sweet
As Amrit is its first taste, but its last
Bitter as poison. ’Tis of Rajas, Prince!
And foul and “dark” the Pleasure is which springs
From sloth and sin and foolishness; at first
And at the last, and all the way of life
The soul bewildering. ’Tis of Tamas, Prince!
For nothing lives on earth, nor ’midst the gods
In utmost heaven, but hath its being bound
With these three Qualities, by Nature framed.
The work of Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas,
And Sudras, O thou Slayer of thy Foes!
Is fixed by reason of the Qualities
Planted in each:
A Brahman’s virtues, Prince!
Born of his nature, are serenity,
Self-mastery, religion, purity,
Patience, uprightness, learning, and to know
The truth of things which be. A Kshatriya’s pride,
Born of his nature, lives in valor, fire,
Constancy, skilfulness, spirit in fight,
And open-handedness and noble mien,
As of a lord of men. A Vaisya’s task,
Born with his nature, is to till the ground,
Tend cattle, venture trade. A Sudra’s state,
Suiting his nature, is to minister.
Whoso performeth—diligent, content—
The work allotted him, whate’er it be,
Lays hold of perfectness! Hear how a man
Findeth perfection, being so content:
He findeth it through worship—wrought by work—
Of HIM that is the Source of all which lives,
Of HIM by Whom the universe was stretched.
Better thine own work is, though done with fault,
Than doing other’s work, ev’n excellently.
He shall not fall in sin who fronts the task
Set him by Nature’s hand! Let no man leave
His natural duty, Prince! though it bear blame!
For every work hath blame, as every flame
Is wrapped in smoke! Only that man attains
Perfect surcease of work whose work was wrought
With mind unfettered, soul wholly subdued,
Desires for ever dead, results renounced.
Learn from me, Son of Kunti! also this,
How one, attaining perfect peace, attains
BRAHM, the supreme, the highest height of all!
Devoted—with a heart grown pure, restrained
In lordly self-control, foregoing wiles
Of song and senses, freed from love and hate,
Dwelling ’mid solitudes, in diet spare,
With body, speech, and will tamed to obey,
Ever to holy meditation vowed,
From passions liberate, quit of the Self,
Of arrogance, impatience, anger, pride;
Freed from surroundings, quiet, lacking nought—
Such an one grows to oneness with the BRAHM;
Such an one, growing one with BRAHM, serene,
Sorrows no more, desires no more; his soul,
Equally loving all that lives, loves well
Me, Who have made them, and attains to Me.
By this same love and worship doth he know
Me as I am, how high and wonderful,
And knowing, straightway enters into Me.
And whatsoever deeds he doeth—fixed
In Me, as in his refuge—he hath won
For ever and for ever by My grace
Th’ Eternal Rest! So win thou! In thy thoughts
Do all thou dost for Me! Renounce for Me!
Sacrifice heart and mind and will to Me!
Live in the faith of Me! In faith of Me
All dangers thou shalt vanquish, by My grace,
But, trusting to thyself and heeding not,
Thou can’st but perish! If this day thou say’st
Relying on thyself, “I will not fight!”
Vain will the purpose prove! thy qualities
Would spur thee to the war. What thou dost shun,
Misled by fair illusions, thou wouldst seek
Against thy will, when the task comes to thee
Waking the promptings in thy nature set.
There lives a Master in the hearts of men
Maketh their deeds, by subtle pulling-strings,
Dance to what tune HE will. With all thy soul
Trust Him, and take Him for thy succor, Prince!
So—only so, Arjuna!—shall thou gain—
By grace of Him—the uttermost repose,
The Eternal Place!
Thus hath been opened thee
This Truth of Truths, the Mystery more hid
Than any secret mystery. Meditate!
And—as thou wilt—then act!
Nay! but once more
Take My last word, My utmost meaning have!
Precious thou art to Me; right well-beloved!
Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this.
Give Me thy heart! adore Me! serve Me! cling
In faith and love and reverence to Me!
So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true,
For thou art sweet to Me!
And let go those—
Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone!
Make Me thy single refuge! I will free
Thy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer!
[Hide, the holy Krishna saith,
This from him that hath no faith,
Him that worships not, nor seeks
Wisdom’s teaching when she speaks:
Hide it from all men who mock;
But, wherever, ’mid the flock
Of My lovers, one shall teach
This divinest, wisest, speech—
Teaching in the faith to bring
Truth to them, and offering
Of all honor unto Me—
Unto Brahma cometh he!
Nay, and nowhere shall ye find
Any man of all mankind
Doing dearer deed for Me;
Nor shall any dearer be
In My earth. Yea, furthermore,
Whoso reads this converse o’er
Held by Us upon the plain,
Pondering piously and fain,
He hath paid Me sacrifice!
(Krishna speaketh in this wise!)
Yea, and whoso, full of faith,
Heareth wisely what it saith,
Heareth meekly,—when he dies,
Surely shall his spirit rise
To those regions where the Blest,
Free of flesh, in joyance rest.]
Hath this been heard by thee, O Indian Prince!
With mind intent— hath all the ignorance—
Which bred thy trouble—vanished, My Arjun—
ARJUNA:
Trouble and ignorance are gone! the Light
Hath come unto me, by Thy favor, Lord!
Now am I fixed! my doubt is fled away!
According to Thy word, so will I do!
SANJAYA:
Thus gathered I the gracious speech of Krishna, O my King!
Thus have I told, with heart a-thrill, this wise and wondrous thing
By great Vyâsa’s learning writ, how Krishna’s self made known
The Yôga, being Yôga’s Lord. So is the high truth shown!
And aye, when I remember, O Lord my King, again
Arjuna and the God in talk, and all this holy strain,
Great is my gladness: when I muse that splendor, passing speech,
Of Hari, visible and plain, there is no tongue to reach
My marvel and my love and bliss. O Archer-Prince! all hail!
O Krishna, Lord of Yôga! surely there shall not fail
Blessing, and victory, and power, for Thy most mighty sake,
Where this song comes of Arjun, and how with God he spake.
Here ends, with Chapter XVIII. entitled “Mokshasan-yâsayôg,” or “The Book of Religion by Deliverance and Renunciation,”
THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
Subhamastu Sarvajagatân
Chapters from the Koran
Introductory Note
THE ANCIENT religion of the Arabs was the worship of the stars, but long before the birth of Mohammed, it had become greatly corrupted, and a multifarious idolatry had come to prevail. By the sixth century even this had become perfunctory, and most of the population had ceased to believe in anything, though pilgrimages and sacrifices were to some extent kept up. The chief seat of this degraded worship was the city of Mecca, where was situated the Kaabah, the most ancient shrine of the country; and it was from the family of the princes of Mecca and guardians of the Kaabah that the prophet was descended.
Mohammed was born in 571 A. D. His father died before he was born, and his mother when he was only six. In his youth he tended sheep and goats, and at twenty-four he was employed to drive caravans of camels by a rich widow, ‘Hadïgah, whom he married.
When he was forty, while wandering alone on a desolate mountain near Mecca, he had a vision. An angel appeared to him and told him to read, and recited certain verses. From youth he had suffered from a kind of hysteria, and this vision seems to have increased his tendency to hallucinations and ecstasy. There was an intermission of two or three years before the vision reappeared, after which revelations came rapidly. He became convinced of his prophetic mission, and began to make converts, the first being the women of his own family.
For years, however, the new religion made little progress, and the prophet underwent great hardships, finally having to flee from Mecca to Medinah. From this “Flight,” which took place in 622 A. D., the Mohammedan era dates. Two years later began the Holy War, and from this time on Mohammedanism was extended largely by the sword. When its founder died in 632, it was firmly established as a great political power as well as a religion; and it is now said to be the belief of about a hundred and seventy millions of people.
From the Qur’ân or Koran, in which are collected Mohammed’s revelations, the following chapters are selected to give a view of all the more important elements of the faith he taught.
Mecca Suras
The Chapter of Congealed Blood
IN 1 the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
READ, in the name of thy Lord!
Who created man from congealed blood!
Read, for thy Lord is most generous!
Who taught the pen!
Taught man what he did not know!
Nay, verily, man is indeed outrageous at seeing himself get rich!
Verily, unto thy Lord is the return!
Hast thou considered him who forbids a servant 2 when he prays 3—
Hast thou considered if he were in guidance or bade piety—
Hast thou considered if he said it was a lie, and turned his back—
Did he not know that God can see—
Nay, surely, if he do not desist we will drag him by the forelock!—the lying sinful forelock!
So let him call his counsel: we will call the guards of hell!
Nay, obey him not, but adore and draw nigh!
Note 1. The five opening verses of this chapter are generally allowed to have been the first that were revealed.
Note 2. I. e. Mohammed.
Note 3. The allusion is to Abu Ghal, who threatened to set his foot on Mohammed’s neck if he caught him in the act of adoration.
The Chapter of the ‘Covered’
IN 1 the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
O thou who art covered! rise up and warn!
And thy Lord magnify!
And thy garments purify!
And abomination shun!
And grant not favours to gain increase!
And for thy Lord await!
And when the trump is blown,—for that day is a difficult day! for the misbelievers aught but easy!
Leave me alone with him I have created and for whom I have made extensive wealth 2 and sons that he may look upon, and for whom I have smoothed things down. Then he desires that I should increase! nay, verily, he is hostile to our signs! I will drive him up a hill! Then he reflected and planned! May he be killed,—how he planned! Again, may he be killed,—how he planned! Then he looked; then he frowned and scowled; then he retreated and was big with pride and said, ‘This is only magic exhibited! this is only mortal speech!’—I will broil him in hell-fire! and what shall make thee know what hell-fire is— It will not leave and will not let alone. It scorches the flesh; over it are nineteen (angels).
We have made only angels guardians of the fire, and we have only made their number a trial to those who misbelieve; that those who have been given the Book may be certain, and that those who believe may be increased in faith; and that those who have been given the Book and the believers may not doubt; and that those in whose hearts is sickness, and the misbelievers may say, ‘What does God mean by this as a parable—’
Thus God leads astray whom He pleases, and guides him He pleases: and none knows the hosts of thy Lord save Himself; and it is only a reminder to mortals!
Nay, by the moon!
And the night when it retires!
And the morning when it brightly dawns!
Verily, it is one of the greatest misfortunes; a warning to mortals; for him amongst you who wishes to press forward or to tarry!
Every soul is pledged 3 for what it earns; except the fellows of the right: in gardens shall they ask each other about the sinners!—‘What drove you into hell-fire—’
They shall say, ‘We weren’t of those who prayed; we didn’t feed the poor; but we did plunge into discussion with those who plunged, and we called the judgment day a lie until the certainty 4 did come to us!’
But there shall not profit them the intercession of the intercessors.
What ailed them that they turned away from the memorial as though they were timid asses fleeing from a lion—
Nay, every man of them wished that he might have given him books spread open!
Nay, but they did not fear the hereafter!
Nay, it is a memorial! and let him who will remember it; but none will remember it except God please. He is most worthy of fear; and he is most worthy to forgive!
Note 1. The first five verses of this chapter form the second revelation by the angel Gabriel in person, and the first after the Fatrah, or period of ‘Intermission.’
Note 2. The person meant is generally supposed to be Walîd ibn Mughâirah, one of the chiefs of the Qurâis.
Note 3. See note 3, Chapter of the Mount.
Note 4. I. e. death.
The Chapter of the Enwrapped
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
O thou who art enwrapped! rise by night except a little—the half, or deduct therefrom a little, or add thereto, and chant the Qur’ân chanting. Verily, we will cast on thee a heavy speech.
Verily, the early part of the night is stronger in impressions and more upright in speech!
Verily, thou hast by day a long employment; but mention the name of thy Lord and devote thyself thoroughly to Him, the Lord of the east and the west; there is no god but He; then take Him for a guardian!
And endure patiently what they say, and flee from them with a decorous flight.
And leave me and those who say it is a lie, who are possessed of comfort; and let them bide for a while.
Verily, with us are heavy fetters and hell-fire, and food that chokes, and mighty woe!
On the day when the earth and the mountains shall tremble and the earth shall be as a crumbling sand-hill!
Verily, we have sent unto you an apostle bearing witness against you, as we sent an apostle unto Pharaoh.
But Pharaoh rebelled against the apostle, and we seized him with an overpowering punishment.
Then how will ye shield yourselves if ye misbelieve from the day which shall make children grey-headed, whereon the heaven cleaves—its promise shall be fulfilled!
Verily, this is a memorial, and whoso will, let him take unto his Lord a way. 1
Verily, thy Lord knows that thou dost stand up to pray nearly two-thirds of the night, or the half of it or the third of it, as do part of those who are with thee; for God measures the night and the day; He knows that ye cannot calculate it, and He turns relentant towards you.
So read what is easy of the Qur’ân. He knows that there will be of you some who are sick and others who beat about in the earth craving the grace of God, and others who are fighting in the cause of God. Then read what is easy of it and be steadfast in prayer, and give alms, and lend to God a goodly loan, for what ye send forward for yourselves of good ye will find it with God. It is better and a greater hire; and ask ye pardon of God; verily, God is forgiving, merciful!
Note 1. From verse 20 the rest of the sûrah seems from its style to belong to the Madînah period; and there is a tradition ascribed to ‘Ayeshah that it was revealed a year later than the earlier part of the chapter.
The Chapter of the Forenoon
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the forenoon!
And the night when it darkens!
Thy Lord has not forsaken thee, nor hated thee! and surely the hereafter is better for thee than the former; and in the end thy Lord will give thee, and thou shalt be well pleased!
Did He not find thee an orphan, and give thee shelter— and find thee erring, and guide thee— and find thee poor with a family, and nourish thee—
But as for the orphan oppress him not; and as for the beggar drive him not away; and as for the favour of thy Lord discourse thereof.
The Opening Chapter
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful, the compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve and Thee we ask for aid. Guide us in the right path, the path of those Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of those who err.
The Chapter of Misbelievers
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, ‘O ye misbelievers! I do not serve what ye serve; nor will ye serve what I serve; nor will I serve what ye serve; nor will ye serve what I serve;—ye have your religion, and I have my religion!’
The Chapter of Unity
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Say, ‘He is God alone!
God the Eternal!
He begets not and is not begotten!
Nor is there like unto Him any one!’
The Chapter of ‘Necessaries’
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
Hast thou considered him who calls the judgment a lie— He it is who pushes the orphan away; and urges not (others) to feed the poor.
But woe to those who pray and who are careless in their prayers,
Who pretend and withhold necessaries. 1
Note 1. Or, ‘alms.’ The word might be rendered ‘resources.’
The Chapter of the Night
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the night when it veils!
And the day when it is displayed!
And by what created male and female!
Verily, your efforts are diverse!
But as for him who gives alms and fears God,
And believes in the best,
We will send him easily to ease!
But as for him who is niggardly,
And longs for wealth,
And calls the good a lie,
We will send him easily to difficulty!
And his wealth shall not avail him
When he falls down (into hell)!
Verily, it is for us to guide;
And, verily, ours are the hereafter and the former life!
And I have warned you of a fire that flames!
None shall broil thereon, but the most wretched, who says it is a lie and turns his back.
But the pious shall be kept away from it, he who gives his wealth in alms, and who gives no favour to any one for the sake of reward, but only craving the face of his Lord most High; in the end he shall be well pleased!
The Chapter of the Land
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
I need not swear by the Lord of this land, 1 and thou a dweller in this land! 2
Nor by the begetter and what he begets!
We have surely created man in trouble.
Does he think that none can do aught against him—
He says, ‘I have wasted wealth in plenty;’ does he think that no one sees him—
Have we not made for him two eyes and a tongue, and two lips— and guided him in the two highways— but he will not attempt the steep!
And what shall make thee know what the steep is— It is freeing captives, or feeding on the day of famine, an orphan who is akin, or a poor man who lies in the dust; and again (it is) to be of these who believe and encourage each other to patience, and encourage each other to mercy,—these are the fellows of the right!
But those who disbelieve in our signs, they are the fellows of the left, for them is fire that closes in!
Note 1. I. e. the sacred territory of Mecca.
Note 2. Or, ‘art at liberty to act as thou pleasest.’
The Chapter ‘He Frowned’
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
He frowned and turned his back, for that there came to him a blind man! 1
But what should make thee know whether haply he may be purified— or may be mindful and the reminder profit him—
But as for him who is wealthy, thou dost attend to him; and thou dost not care that he is not purified; but as for him who comes to thee earnestly fearing the while, from him thou art diverted!
Nay! verily, it is a memorial; and whoso pleases will remember it.
In honored pages exalted, purified, in the hands of noble, righteous scribes!
May man be killed! how ungrateful he is!
Of what did He create him— Of a clot. He created him and fated him; then the path He did make easy for him; then He killed him, and laid him in the tomb; then when He pleases will He raise him up again.
Nay, he has not fulfilled his bidding!
But let man look unto his foods. Verily, we have poured the water out in torrents: then we have cleft the earth asunder, and made to grow therefrom the grain, and the grape, and the grape, and the hay, and the olive, and the palm, and gardens closely planted, and fruits, and grass,—a provision for you and for your cattle!
But when the stunning noise shall come, on the day when man shall flee from his brother and his mother and his father and his spouse and his sons! Every man among them on that day shall have a business to employ him.
Faces on that day shall be bright,—laughing, joyous! and faces shall have dust upon them,—darkness shall cover them! those are the wicked misbelievers!
Note 1. One Abdallah ibn Umm Maktûm, a poor blind man, once interrupted Mohammed while the latter was in conversation with Walîd ibn Mughâirah and some others of the Qurâis chiefs. The prophet taking no notice of him, the blind man raised his voice and earnestly begged for religious instruction, but Mohammed, annoyed at the interruption, frowned and turned away. This passage is a reprimand to the prophet for his conduct on the occasion. Afterwards, whenever he saw the blind Abdallah, Mohammed used to say, ‘Welcome to him on whose account my Lord reproved me!’ and subsequently made him governor of Medînah.
The Chapter of the Smiting
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The smiting!
What is the smiting—
And what shall make thee know what the smiting is—
The day when men shall be like scattered moths; and the mountains shall be like flocks of carded wool!
And as for whose balance is heavy, he shall be in a wellpleasing life.
But as for him whose balance is light, his dwelling shall be the pit of hell.
And who shall make thee know what it is——a burning fire!
The Chapter of the Cleaving Asunder
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the heaven is cleft asunder,
And when the stars are scattered,
And when the seas gush together,
And when the tombs are turned upside down,
The soul shall know what it has sent on or kept back!
O man! what has seduced thee concerning thy generous Lord, who created thee, and fashioned thee, and gave thee symmetry, and in what form He pleased composed thee—
Nay, but ye call the judgment a lie! but over you are guardians set, 1—noble, writing down! they know what ye do!
Verily, the righteous are in pleasure, and, verily, the wicked are in hell; they shall broil therein upon the judgment day; nor shall they be absent therefrom!
And what shall make thee know what is the judgment day— Again, what shall make thee know what is the judgment day— a day when no soul shall control aught for another; and the bidding on that day belongs to God!
Note 1. The recording angels.
The Chapter of the Folding Up
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the sun is folded up,
And when the stars do fall,
And when the mountains are moved,
And when the she-camles ten months gone with young shall be neglected, 1
And when the beasts shall be crowded together, 2
And when the seas shall surge up,
And when souls shall be paired with bodies,
And when the child who was buried alive shall be asked for what sin she was slain,
And when the pages shall be spread out,
And when the heaven shall be flayed,
And when hell shall be set ablaze,
And when Paradise shall be brought nigh.
The soul shall know what it has produced!
I need not swear by the stars that slink back, moving swiftly, slinking into their dens!
Nor by the night when darkness draws on!
Nor by the morn when it first breathes up!
Verily, it is the speech of a noble apostle, mighty, standing sure with the Lord of the throne, obeyed and trusty too!
Your comrade is not mad; he saw him 3 on the plain horizon, nor does he grudge to communicate the unseen.
Nor is it the speech of a pelted devil. 4
Then whither do ye go—
It is but a reminder to the worlds, to whomsoever of you pleases to go straight:—but ye will not please, except God, the Lord of the world, should please.
Note 1. Such camels being among the most valuable of an Arab’s possessions, neglect of them must imply some terribly engrossing calamity.
Note 2. The terrors of the judgment day will drive all the wild beasts together for mutual shelter.
Note 3. Gabriel.
Note 4. See note 5, Chapter of Imrân’s Family.
The Chapter of Those who Tear Out
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By those who tear out violently!
And by those who gaily release 1
And by those who float through the air!
And the preceders who precede! 2
And those who manage the affair!
On the day when the quaking 3 quakes which the following one shall succeed! Hearts on that day shall tremble; eyes thereon be humbled!
They say, ‘Shall we be sent back to our old course——What! when we are rotten bones—’ they say, ‘That then were a losing return!’
But it will only be one scare, and lo! they will be on the surface!
Has the story of Moses come to you— when his Lord addressed him in the holy valley of Tuvâ, ‘Go unto Pharaoh, verily, he is outrageous; and say, “Hast thou a wish to purify thyself, and that I may guide thee to thy Lord, and thou mayest fear—” ’
So he showed him the greatest signs; but he called him a liar and rebelled. Then he retreated hastily, and gathered, and proclaimed, and said, ‘I am your Lord most High!’ but God seized him with the punishment of the future life and of the former.
Verily, in that is a lesson to him who fears!
Are ye harder to create or the heaven that He has built— He raised its height and fashioned; it and made its night to cover it, and brought forth its noonday light; and the earth after that He did stretch out. He brings forth from it its water and its pasture.
And the mountains He did firmly set, a provision for you and for your cattle.
And when the great predominant calamity shall come, on the day when man shall remember what he strove after, and hell shall be brought out for him who sees!
And as for him who was outrageous and preferred the life of this world, verily, hell is the resort!
But as for him who feared the station of his Lord, and prohibited his soul from lust, verily, Paradise is the resort!
They shall ask thee about the Hour, for when it is set. Whereby canst thou mention it— Unto thy Lord its period belongs.
Thou art only a warner to him who fears it.
On the day they see it, it will be as though they had only tarried an evening or the noon thereof.
Note 1. Referring to the angel of death and his assistants, who tear away the souls of the wicked violently, and gently release the souls of the good.
Note 2. The angels who precede the souls of the righteous to Paradise.
Note 3. The trumpet blast at the last day, which shall make the universe quake.
The Chapter of Those Sent
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By those sent in a series! 1
And by those who speed swiftly!
And by the dispensers abroad!
And by the separators apart!
And by those who instil the reminder, as an excuse or warning!
Verily, what ye are threatened with shall surely happen!
And when the stars shall be erased!
And when the heavens shall be cleft!
And when the mountains shall be winnowed!
And when the apostles shall have a time appointed for them!
For what day is the appointment made—
For the day of decision! and what shall make thee know what the decision is—
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Have we not destroyed those of yore, and then followed them up with those of the latter day—
Thus do we with the sinners.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Did we not create you from contemptible water, and place it in a sure depository unto a certain decreed term— for we are able and well able too!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Have we not made for them the earth to hold the living and the dead— and set thereon firm mountains reared aloft— and given you to drink water in streams—
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Go off to that which ye did call a lie! Go off to the shadow of three columns, that shall not shade nor avail against the flame! Verily, it throws off sparks like towers,—as though they were yellow camels!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
This is the day when they may not speak,—when they are not permitted to excuse themselves!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
This is the day of decision! We have assembled you with those of yore; if ye have any stratagem employ it now!
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
Verily, the pious are amid shades and springs and fruit such as they love.—‘Eat and drink with good digestion, for that which ye have done!’
Verily, thus do we reward those who do well.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
‘Eat and enjoy yourselves for a little; verily, ye are sinners!’
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
And when it is said to them bow down, they bow not down.
Woe on that day for those who say it is a lie!
And in what new discourse after it will they believe—
Note 1. Either angels or winds, or as some interpret the passage, the verses of the Qur’ân.
The Chapter of the Resurrection
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
I need not swear by the resurrection day!
Nor need I swear by the self-accusing soul!
Does man think that we shall not collect his bones— Able are we to arrange his finger tips!
Nay, but man wishes to be wicked henceforward! he asks, When is the resurrection day—
But when the sight shall be dazed, and the moon be eclipsed, and the sun and the moon be together, and man shall say upon that day, ‘Where is a place to flee to—’—nay, no refuge! and to thy Lord that day is the sure settlement: He will inform man on that day of what He has sent forward or delayed!
Nay, man is an evidence against himself, and even if he thrusts forward his excuses—.
Do not move thy tongue thereby to hasten it. 1 It is for us to collect it and to read it; and when we read it then follow its reading. And again it is for us to explain it.
Nay, indeed, but ye love the transient life, and ye neglect the hereafter!
Faces on that day shall be bright, gazing on their Lord!
And faces on that day shall be dismal!
Thou wilt think that a back-breaking calamity has happened to them!
Nay, but when the [soul] comes up into the throat, and it is said, ‘Who will charm it back—’ and he will think that it is his parting [hour]. And leg shall be pressed on leg; 2 unto thy Lord on that day shall the driving be.
For he did not believe 3 and did not pray; but he said it was a lie, and turned his back! Then he went to his people haughtily—woe to thee, and woe to thee! again woe to thee, and woe to thee!
Does man think that he shall be left to himself—
Wasn’t he a clot of emitted seed— Then he was congealed blood, and (God) created him, and fashioned him, and made of him pairs, male and female.
Is not He able to quicken the dead—
Note 1. I. e. the revelation. The words are addressed to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel.
Note 2. I. e. in the death struggle.
Note 3. Or did not give in charity.
The Chapter of the Infallible
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The Infallible, what is the Infallible— and what should make thee know what the Infallible is—
Thamûd and ‘Ad called the Striking Day a lie; but as for Thamûd they perished by the shock; and as for ‘Ad they perished with the violent cold blast of wind, which He subjected against them for seven nights and eight days consecutively. Thou mightest see the people therein prostrate as though they were palm stumps thrown down, and canst thou see any of them left—
And Pharaoh and those before him of the overturned cities 1 committed sins, and they rebelled against the apostle of their Lord, and He seized them with an excessive punishment.
Verily, we, when the water surged, bore you on it in a sailing ship, to make it a memorial for you, and that the retentive ear might hold it.
And when the trumpet shall be blown with one blast, and the earth shall be borne away, and the mountains too, and both be crushed with one crushing; on that day shall the inevitable happen; and the heaven on that day shall be cleft asunder, for on that day shall it wane! and the angels upon the sides thereof; and above them on that day shall eight bear the throne of thy Lord!
On the day when ye shall be set forth no hidden thing of yours shall be concealed.
And as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say, ‘Here! take and read my book. Verily, I thought that I should meet my reckoning’; and he shall be in a pleasing life, in a lofty garden, whose fruits are nigh to cull—‘Eat ye and drink with good digestion, for what ye did aforetime in the days that have gone by!’
But as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say, ‘O, would that I had not received my book! I did not know what my account would be. O, would that it 2 had been an end of me! my wealth availed me not! my authority has perished from me!’ ‘Take him and fetter him, then in hell broil him! then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits force him! verily, he believed not in the mighty God, nor was he particular to feed the poor: therefore he has not here to-day any warm friend, nor any food except foul ichor, which none save sinners shall eat!’
I need not swear by what ye see or what ye do not see, verily, it is the speech of a noble apostle; and it is not the speech of a poet:—little is it ye believe!
And it is not the speech of a soothsayer,—little is it that ye mind!—a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
Why if he had invented against us any sayings, we would have seized him by the right hand, then we would have cut his jugular vein; nor could any one of you have kept us off from him.
Verily, it is a memorial to the pious; and, verily, we know that there are amongst you those who say it is a lie; and, verily, it is a source of sighing to the misbelievers; and, verily, it is certain truth!
Therefore celebrate the name of thy mighty Lord!
Note 1. Sodom and Gomorrah.
Note 2. I. e. death.
The Chapter of the Mount
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the mount! by the Book inscribed upon an outstretched vellum! by the frequented house! 1 by the elevated roof! 2 by the swelling sea! verily, the torment of thy Lord will come to pass;—there is none to avert it!
The day when the heavens shall reel about, and the mountains shall move about,—then woe upon that day to those who call (the apostles) liars, who plunge into discussion for a sport!
On the day when they shall be thrust away into the fire of hell,—‘This is the fire, the which ye used to call a lie!—Is it magic, this— or can ye not see——broil ye therein, and be patient thereof or be not patient, it is the same to you: ye are but rewarded for that which ye did do!’
Verily, the pious (shall be) in gardens and pleasure, enjoying what their Lord has given them; for their Lord will save them from the torment of hell.
‘Eat and drink with good digestion, for that which ye have done!’
Reclining on couches in rows; and we will wed them to large-eyed maids.
And those who believe and whose seed follows them in the faith, we will unite their seed with them; and we will not cheat them of their work at all;—every man is pledged for what he earns. 3
And we will extend to them fruit and flesh such as they like. They shall pass to and fro therein a cup in which is neither folly nor sin.
And round them shall go boys of theirs, as though they were hidden pearls.
And they shall accost each other and ask questions, and shall say, ‘Verily, we were before amidst our families shrinking with terror, 4 but God has been gracious to us and saved us from the torment of the hot blast.
‘Verily, we used to call on Him before; verily, He is the righteous, the compassionate!’
Wherefore do thou 5 remind them: for thou art, by the favour of thy Lord, neither a soothsayer nor mad!
Will they say, ‘A poet; we wait for him the sad accidents of fate—’
Say, ‘Wait ye then; for I too am of those who wait!’
Do their dreams bid them this— or are they an outrageous people—
Or will they say, ‘He has invented it—’—nay, but they do not believe!
But let them bring a discourse like it, if they tell the truth!
Or were they created of nothing, or were they the creators— Or did they create the heavens and the earth——nay, but they are not sure!
Or have they the treasures of thy Lord— or are they the governors supreme—
Or have they a ladder whereon they can listen 6——then let their listener bring obvious authority.
Has He daughters, while ye have sons—
Or dost thou ask them a hire, while they are borne down by debt—
Or have they the unseen, so that they write it down—
Or do they desire a plot——but those who misbelieve it is who are plotted against!
Or have they a god beside God— celebrated be God’s praises above what they join with Him!
But if they should see a fragment of the sky falling down, they would say, ‘Clouds in masses!’
But leave them till they meet that day of theirs whereon they shall swoon 7; the day when their plotting shall avail them naught, and they shall not be helped!
And, verily, there is a torment beside that 8 for those who do wrong; but most of them do not know!
But wait thou patiently for the judgment of thy Lord, for thou art in our eyes. And celebrate the praises of thy Lord what time thou risest, and in the night, and at the fading of the stars!
Note 1. I. e. either the Kaabah itself or the model of it, said to exist in the heavens and to be frequented by the angels.
Note 2. I. e. of heaven.
Note 3. The word also means ‘illiterate,’ and refers here to the Pagan Arabs in Mohammed’s time. He seems to have borrowed the expression from the Jews.
Note 4. At the thought of the next life.
Note 5. Addressed to Mohammed.
Note 6. I. e. a ladder reaching to the gates of heaven, upon which they may stand and listen to the angels discoursing, as the devils do.
Note 7. At the sound of the last trumpet.
Note 8. I. e. beside the torment of the judgment day they shall be punished with defeat and loss here.
Mecca Suras
The Chapter of the Inevitable
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
When the inevitable 1 happens; none shall call its happening a lie!—abasing—exalting!
When the earth shall quake, quaking! and the mountains shall crumble, crumbling, and become like motes dispersed! And ye shall be three sorts;
And the fellows of the right hand—what right lucky fellows!
And the fellows of the left hand—what unlucky fellows!
And the foremost foremost! 2
These are they who are brought nigh,
In gardens of pleasure!
A crowd of those of yore,
And a few of those of the latter day!
And gold-weft couches, reclining on them face to face.
Around them shall go eternal youths, with goblets and ewers and a cup of flowing wine; no headache shall they feel therefrom, nor shall their wits be dimmed!
And fruits such as they deem the best;
And flesh of fowl as they desire;
And bright and large-eyed maids like hidden pearls;
A reward for that which they have done!
They shall hear no folly there and no sin;
Only the speech, ‘Peace, Peace!’
And the fellows of the right—what right lucky fellows!
Amid thornless lote trees.
And tal‘h 3 trees with piles of fruit;
And outspread shade,
And water out-poured;
And fruit in abundance, neither failing nor forbidden;
And beds upraised!
Verily, we have produced them 4 a production.
And made them virgins, darlings of equal age (with their spouses) for the fellows of the right!
A crowd of those of yore, and a crowd of those of the latter day!
And the fellows of the left—what unlucky fellows!
In hot blasts and boiling water;
And a shade of pitchy smoke,
Neither cool nor generous!
Verily, they were affluent ere this, and did persist in mighty crime; and used to say, ‘What, when we die and have become dust and bones, shall we then indeed be raised— or our fathers of yore—’
Say, ‘Verily, those of yore and those of the latter day shall surely be gathered together unto the tryst of the well-known day.’
Then ye, O ye who err! who say it is a lie! shall eat of the Zaqqûm tree! and fill your bellies with it! and drink thereon of boiling water! and drink as drinks the thirsty camel.
This is their entertainment on the judgment day!
We created you, then why do ye not credit—
Have ye considered what ye emit—
Do we create it, or are we the creators—
We have decreed amongst you death; but we are not forestalled from making the likes of you in exchange, or producing you as ye know not of.
Ye do know the first production—why then do ye not mind—
Have ye considered what ye till—
Do ye make it bear seed, or do we make it bear seed—
If we pleased we could make it mere grit, so that ye would pause to marvel:
‘Verily, we have got into debt 5 and we are excluded.’ 6
Have ye considered the water which ye drink—
Do ye make it come down from the clouds, or do we make it come down—
If we pleased we could make it pungent—why then do ye not give thanks—
Have ye considered the fire which ye strike—
Do ye produce the tree that gives it, 7 or do we produce it—
We have made it a memorial and a chattel for the traveller of the waste—
Then celebrate the grand name of thy Lord!
So I will not swear by the positions of the stars; and, verily, it is a grand oath if ye did but know—that, verily, this is the honourable Qur’ân—in the laid-up Book!
Let none touch it but the purified!
A revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
What! this new discourse will ye despise—
And make for your provision, that you call it a lie—
Why then—when it 8 comes up to the throat, and ye at that time look on, though we are nearer to him than you are, but ye cannot see,—why, if ye are not to be judged, do ye not send it back, if ye do tell the truth—
But either, if he be of those brought nigh to God,—then rest and fragrance and the garden of pleasure!
Or, if he be of the fellows of the right! then ‘Peace to thee!’ from the fellows of the right!
Or, if he be of those who say it is a lie,—who err! then an entertainment of boiling water! and broiling in hell!
Verily, this is surely certain truth!
So celebrate the grand name of thy Lord!
Note 1. I. e. the day of judgment.
Note 2. I. e. the foremost in professing the faith on earth shall be the foremost then.
Note 3. The mimosa gummifera is generally so called in Arabia; but the banana is said to be meant in this passage.
Note 4. The celestial damsels.
Note 5. I. e. for seed and labour.
Note 6. From reaping the fruits of it.
Note 7. The ancient Arabs produced fire by the friction of a stick in a hollow piece of wood.
Note 8. The soul of a dying man.
The Chapter of the Star
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
By the star when it falls, your comrade errs not, nor is he deluded! nor speaks he out of lust! It is but an inspiration inspired! One mighty in power 1 taught him, endowed with sound understanding and appeared, he being in the loftiest tract.
Then drew he near and hovered o’er! until he was two bows length off or nigher still! Then he inspired his servant what he inspired him; the heart belies not what he saw! What, will ye dispute with him on what he saw—
And he saw him another time, by the lote tree none may pass; near which is the garden of the Abode! When there covered the lote tree what did cover it! The sight swerved not nor wandered. He saw then the greatest of the signs of his Lord.
Have ye considered Allât and Al ’Huzzâ, and Manât the other third— Shall there be male offspring for Him and female for you— That were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no authority for them! They do but follow suspicion and what their souls lust after!—And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord.
Shall man have what he desires— But God’s is the hereafter and the present!
How many an angel in the heaven!—their intercession avails not at all, save after God has given permission to whomsoever He will and is pleased with!
Verily, those who believe not in the hereafter do surely name the angels with female names!—but they have no knowledge thereof; they do but follow suspicion, and, verily, suspicion shall not avail against the truth at all!
But turn aside from him who turns his back upon our remembrance and desires naught but this world’s life! This is their sum of knowledge; verily, thy Lord knows best who has erred from His way, and He knows best who is guided!
God’s is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, that He may reward those who do evil for what they have done; and may reward those who do good with good! those who shun great sins and iniquities,—all but venial faults,—verily, thy Lord is of ample forgiveness; He knows best about you, when He produced you from the earth, and when ye were embryos in the wombs of your mothers.
Make not yourselves out, then, to be pure; He knows best who it is that fears.
Hast thou considered him who turns his back— who gives but little and then stops 2— Has he then the knowledge of the unseen, so that he can see—
Has he not been informed of what is in the pages of Moses and Abraham who fulfilled his word——that no burdened soul shall bear the burden of another— and that man shall have only that for which he strives; and that his striving shall at length be seen— Then shall he be rewarded for it with the most full reward; and that unto thy Lord is the limit; and that it is He who makes men laugh and weep; and that it is He who kills and makes alive; and that He created pairs, male and female, from a clot when it is emitted; and that for Him is the next production 3; and that He enriches and gives possession; and that He is the Lord of the Dog-star, 4 and that He it was who destroyed ‘Ad of yore, and Thamûd, and left none of them; and the people of Noah before them,—verily, they were most unjust and outrageous!
And the overthrown (cities) 5 He threw down; and there covered them what did cover them!
Which then of your Lord’s benefits do ye dispute—
This is a warner, one of the warners of yore!
The approaching day approaches; there is none to discover it but God.
At this new discourse then do ye wonder— and do ye laugh and not weep— and ye divert yourselves the while!
But adore God and serve (Him). 6
Note 1. The angel Gabriel, who appeared twice to Mohammed in his natural form, namely, on the occasion of the ‘Night Journey,’ to which this passage refers, and on the first revelation of the Qur’ân.
Note 2. This passage refers to one El Walîd 1bn Mughâirah, who being abused for following Mohammed and forsaking the religion of the Qurâis, answered that he had done so to escape divine vengeance. Thereupon an idolater offered to take on himself El Walîd’s sin for a certain sum of money. The offer was accepted, and Walîd apostatized from El Islâm, paying down a portion of the amount agreed upon at the time. Later on he refused to pay the balance on the ground that he had already paid enough.
Note 3. I. e. the resurrection.
Note 4. Sirius, or the Dog-star, was an object of worship amongst the ancient Arabs.
Note 5. Sodom, Gomorrah, & c.
Note 6. At this verse the Quarâis, who were present at the first reading of this chapter when their gods were spoken well of, fell down adoring with Mohammed.
The Chapter of the Merciful
IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.
The Merciful taught the Qur’ân;
He created man, taught him plain speech.
The sun and the moon have their appointed time;
The herbs and the trees adore;
And the heavens, He raised them and set the balance, that ye should not be outrageous in the balance;
But weigh ye aright, and stint not the balance.
And the earth He has set it for living creatures; therein are fruits and palms, with sheaths; and grain with chaff and frequent shoots;
Then which of your Lord’s bounties will ye twain deny—
He created men of crackling clay like the potters. And He created the ginn from smokeless fire.
Then which of your Lord’s bounties will ye twain deny—
The Lord of the two easts 1 and the Lord of the two wests!