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Sri Atma Gita

Suta narrating.

Om Sri Atma Gita now I'll sing 

On hearing which a man is freed 

That heart receptive to God's word 

Becomes the Lord Hari's abode 

On the wheel of change a man is turned 

Until Sri Atma Gita's heard 

Even the place in which it's sung 

Becomes a sacred place of Love 

Oh man, seek thee the highest goal 

Read or sing this song each day 

True understanding thou wilt gain 

And all past sins will fade away 

To one who hears this song at death 

Sri Krishna out of love bestows 

A place on high and those who give 

This song as a gift are One with Him 

Om O souls who yearn for truth 

Come sip Sri Krishna's honeyed word 

Who hears this song is freed from death 

And gains the precious peace of God 

Sri Krishna is speaking:

O noble Uddhava, remember my words 

For I'll not be around to remind you again 

Give up all attachment, surrender your love 

For this world of sense-objects relations, and friends 

The feeling of "I" as a separate self 

Must be given up if you wish to know truth 

There's only one Self which exists within all -

It is that very Self that you see as the world 

The Self is the source of the whole Universe 

It fashions all forms of its own Consciousness 

Though all forms are changing and soon fade away 

The one conscious Self is forever the same 

Therefore Uddhava, cling fast to the Self 

Your mind must be steady, unswayed by the world 

Your heart must be free of all selfish desire 

If you wish to awake and to know who you are 

When you have gained knowledge and wisdom as well 

When you can feel one with the whole universe 

When you've found the Self and in Self found delight 

Then you will be free, though you live still on earth 

Thus will you go beyond evil and good 

Without pride or shame you'll behave as you should 

To everyone loving and gentle and kind 

You'll see naught but One, and in One keep your mind 

Uddhava to Krishna:

Oh Krishna my God, only Soul of the world 

So that I may awake please instruct me still more 

My mind is so dull I'm unable to see 

The way that a man from his flesh can be free 

Sri Krishna is speaking:

Listen Uddhava, take refuge in me 

Perform all your duties and works faithfully 

But keep your heart free from all want or desire 

And surrender your heart and your mind unto me 

This world which the senses perceive is a dream 

There's nothing within it that is what it seems 

So keep your mind steady, remembering me 

And do what you must while your heart remains free 

To work with the motive of pleasing oneself 

Leads only to ruin and darkness within 

But the works that are done in the service of God 

Bring freedom and peace as the fruits of reward 

With your mind wide awake and remembering me 

Surrender all thoughts of yourself and be free 

Give up the false names of "myself" and "my own" 

Become one with God through devotional love 

Regard all your brothers with equality 

See only one Self in whatever you see 

With all doubt dispelled by the bright light of truth 

Awake from the dream of this world and be free 

When you've become free of all worldly desire 

No power can shake you or move you to ire 

Unstirred by the words of both good men and bad 

Uddhava, be free, keep your mind fixed on God 

Uddhava to Krishna:

O Krishna, all men are aware that the world 

Is changing and fleeting, a whirlpool of dust 

Yet see how all men run to fill their desires 

See how they're caught in the jaws of dark lust 

Though suffering and misery runs after those men 

Who seek for their pleasure the objects of sense 

Please tell me, dear Krishna, why it should be so 

That men, like dumb beasts, love their suffering so? 

Sri Krishna is speaking:

Uddhava, such poor men do not know the truth 

Nor have they the peace and contentment that comes 

From knowing the bliss of the one conscious Self 

Pervading this world in these myriad forms 

Such men are deluded in thinking the Self 

Is body and mind and the organs of sense 

Betrayed by desires of the flesh they are led 

By dreams of sense-pleasure until they are dead 

By giving himself to the impulse of lust 

A foolish man gathers up pain for himself 

But a man of dispassion and knowledge is wise 

He gathers the fruits of a joy that's divine 

So listen Uddhava, give up lethargy 

Keep watch on the thoughts of your mind faithfully 

Withdraw your regard from the world and its play 

Remember the Self with each thought every day 

'Tis is which is known as the yoga supreme 

I've taught it to Gods and I've taught it to men 

I'll tell you Uddhava the words which I gave 

To the great sage Sanaka in a far-distant age 

The question Sanaka asked of me was this: 

"The mind is attracted to objects of sense 

And objects of sense become fixed in the mind 

How can I be free from sense objects that bind" 

What you say is true I assured him at once 

But you're neither mind nor the objects of sense 

There's only one "I" ever free and divine 

When you know that Self then true freedom you'll find 

That vision which sees many where there is one 

Is sleep though one's eyes may appear open wide 

The one conscious Self is Reality 

Awake from the dream of this world and be free 

Dispel the dark clouds of delusion with truth 

With knowledge and wisdom shed light on the Self 

Realize who you are and by knowledge be freed 

Devotion to truth is the true love indeed 

Today the world is, but tomorrow it's not 

It shifts like the forms of the clouds in the sky 

It is but one Consciousness seeming to be 

The manifold world which the senses perceive 

Withdraw from this world of appearance your mind 

And give up the thirst for the pleasures of life 

With mind set at rest know the bliss of the Self 

And never more fall into error and strife 

That man who has tasted the bliss of the Self 

May move among objects of sense without fear 

His mind never clings to the world's misery 

His heart is with God and his soul is made free 

This is the secret Sanaka was taught 

The goal of all men and the highest of paths 

Give worship to God as the Self of your heart 

See only one Self and remain unattached 

Uddhava to Krishna:

Dear Krishna the sages have taught many ways 

To reach to the end of man's journey to God 

I wish to know, Lord, the way that is best 

Can each of these paths be as good as the rest? 

Sri Krishna is speaking:

Uddhava my child, there are many ways 

Which sages have shone to attain the Supreme 

The pathways are many and each of them leads 

To the knowledge of God beyond scriptures or creeds 

By love, or by inward control of the mind 

By faith, or by wisdom, by serving mankind 

All these have been taught as the way to reach God 

But the best way of all is devotional love 

What joy does one find in the sweet love of God 

The bliss of his love fills the whole universe 

Uddhava delight in that Lord who's within

Surrender your life in devotion to Him 

As wood is burnt up when it's thrown into fire 

Devotional love burns up worldly desire. 

By study of books man may try to find joy 

But, God who is Love is found only through love. 

Without love for God all man's learning is vain 

'Tis only through love that true bliss is regained 

With joy in his heart that wise lover is blessed 

Who serves God with Love; 'tis the path which is best 

Uddhava, obtain that sweet blessing of grace 

By taking the path that is followed by saints 

Give worship to God through devotional hymns 

Perform all your actions in service to Him 

Be free from all selfish desires of the mind 

Renounce everything for the love that's divine 

When your mind is surrendered and evermore true 

That love which is bliss will awaken in you 

This goal is the highest goal one can attain 

God's freedom and bliss in the form of a man 

All pleasure, all knowledge, all power divine 

Belongs to that man who's surrendered the mind 

So therefore Uddhava, restrain the desire 

For outward enjoyments through organs of sense 

And turn your mind inward with love to the Self 

Through deep meditation regain your true wealth 

Learn to be even in mind and in poise 

Be calm in the midst of the mightiest storm 

Though men may upbraid you and call you false names 

Remember the Self, remain ever the same 

Do not allow hatred to rise up in you 

Nor ever in anger return blow for blow 

But keep your mind turned to the Self who's within 

And strive to be free from the bondage of sin 

Uddhava to Krishna:

O Master, dear teacher, O Soul of the world 

When one is insulted and false words are hurled 

How hard is the task of remaining in peace 

Please show me the way I can do this with ease 

Sri Krishna is speaking:

Indeed it is true there's nothing more hard 

The words of the wicked strike deep in the heart 

Like arrows they lodge in the breast of a man 

And cause such a pain that he scarcely can stand 

But please let me tell you, Uddhava my child, 

A story of one who was painfully tried 

By torment and mis'ry throughout all his life 

Yet ever remain free of pain and of strife 

This man was once wealthy and foolishly proud 

'Til fate intervened and deprived him of all 

But the blow fortune dealt him was good in disguise 

For he soon realized where man's real treasure lies 

With mind turned within he examined his soul 

While wand'ring the earth as a sadhu alone 

Though poor in the eyes of all men of the world 

He soon became wealthy in true self-control 

Now other men saw him alone and detached 

And decided to test him by treating him rough 

Wherever he went he was treated with scorn 

As men tried to wound him with words and with stones 

But though he was treated by all men with spite 

The truth of the Self he kept ever in sight 

Tormented incessantly, injured and wronged 

He sang in his heart this pain-dispelling song 

"No pleasure, No pain can affect my true Self 

Both suff'ring and pleasure belong to the mind 

The Self is the witness of all the mind's play 

Remaining forevermore conscious and free. 

The Self, like an object reflected in glass 

Appears to be mind and the whole universe 

And man, by forgetting his identity 

Is lost in delusion and knows misery 

All teachings of sages have one common goal 

They all teach the way to attain self-control 

The highest religion consists of just this: 

To bridle the mind and in truth become fixed 

The uncontrolled mind is man's sole evil foe 

It vanquishes men with its weapons of woe 

Forgetful of this men see evil in men 

Like fools, they forget that all evil's within 

None other can cause me to know joy or pain 

For I am forever the unchanging One 

The sense of delight or of sadness I find 

Comes from the false notion that I am the mind 

The body and mind are both subject to change

But I am the One in whom all is contained 

In freedom forever, beyond shame or fear 

The sweet blissful Self is the one that I hold dear"

That was the song that my wise wand'rer sang

Though injured and tortured by wrong-hearted men

He held to the truth and continued in peace 

And crossed over the ocean of mis'ry to me

When you can surrender in full love to God 

You'll rise to the heights of the heaven within 

In blissful awak'ning you'll know your true Self 

And fathom the depths of the whole universe

And when your mind's light becomes steady and bright

All ignorant notions will fade out of sight

The false sense of ego will then disappear

And the world of appearance will bind you no more

Your mind will be peaceful, absorbed in the Self 

You'll look on all others with equality 

Beyond good and evil with ego dispelled 

To nothing attached, you'll then become free

What more can remain to be gained by that man

Whose heart's filled with love, who has found joy within?

His words are of truth and all men are made pure

By hearing from him of the One who endures

Like fire, he is able to burn away sin 

And light up that deep night of darkness within 

A blessing to all, he's like a strong ship 

To carry all men 'cross this ocean to bliss

As food sustains life and as life sustains man

That sage who is free is the savior of all 

The sun in the sky who lights heaven and earth 

Cannot be compared to that sage who lights hearts

Now let me tell you, Uddhava my son

The things you must do if the truth's to be won 

By following this you will come to know bliss

Through wisdom you'll conquer invincible death

Awake to the knowledge that God is your Self 

Let all of your actions be guided by Him 

Surrender your life in the service of God 

And your heart will be filled with the light of His Love 

Take up your abode with the holiest saints 

Those sages whose lives are devoted to God 

And learn by their conduct to live as you must 

To see only One in this vast universe 

Oh nobel Uddhava, your sight must be pure 

To see only God in this manifold world 

Such vision is wisdom that sets the soul free 

See only one Consciousness incessantly 

By seeing in all men the spirit divine 

The notion of 'others' abandons the mind 

Realize this one truth and your heart will be free 

Of anger and hatred and mean jealousy. 

That man who has seen God sees God everywhere 

He worships the Self in all hearts as his own 

This is the best mode of worship indeed 

To treat all as God in one's thought, word, and deed 

Such is the knowledge I pass on to you 

By which in this life you may learn to be free 

And loose all attachment to things passing by 

And know your true Self as immortality 

Dear Brother, said Suta, the tale has been told 

Of Uddhava and Krishna in days long ago 

The fountain of nectar which flowed from the lips 

Of Sri Krishna enables all men to know bliss. 

I Bow to that Krishna, the one Soul of all 

This song Atma Gita, His glory has told 

May all men win freedom by singing this song 

From the Srimad Bhagavatam Purana of old 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti 

(Om Peace Peace Peace)