Sri Atma Gita

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~  

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~’Tis this very Self that you see as the world~ 

The Self is the source of the whole Universe~ It fashions all forms of it’s 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 ypu’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~With out pride or shame you’ll be have as you should~To everyone Loving and Gentle and Kind~

You’ll see not but One and in One keep your mind~ 

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~ 

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 perceives 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 thought of yourself and be free~

give up the false notion of ‘”myself and “my own” ~ Become one with God through devotional love~ 

Regard all your brothers with equality ~ See only oneself in whatever you see ~ With all doubts 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 and 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 ~ 

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~ 

Uddhava, such poor men do not know the truth ~ Nor have they the peace and contentment that comes ~   From know 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 it’s play ~ Remember the Self with each thought every day ~ 

“Tis this which is known as the yoga supreme ~  I’ve taught it to god’s 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 your niether 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 that sees many where there is one ~ Is sleep though one’s eyes may appear open wide ~ The one conscious Self is the Reality ~ Awake from the dream of this world and be free ~ 

Dispell the dark clouds of delusion with truth ~ With knownledge 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 sifts 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 objests of sense without fear ~ His mind never clings to the world’s misery ~ His heart is with God and his mind 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 ~ 

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 ways be as good as the rest ~ 

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 this 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  ~ Foroutward enjoyments through organs of sense  ~ And trun 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 ~

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 ~ 

 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 hardly 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 his mind turned within he examined his soul  ~While wond’ring  the earth as a sudhu alone ~ Though poor in the eye of all men of the world ~ He soon became wealthy in true self-control  ~

Now other men saw him alone and detached ~ And desided 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 teaching’s 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 vanguishes men with it’s 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 ~ 

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 who’s live’s are devoted to God ~  And learn by their conduct to live as you must  ~To see only One in this vast universe  ~ 

Oh nobal  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 wisdom 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 fountian 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 ~