Chapter 5: Karma Sannyasa Yoga

Arjuna asks which is better, giving up work or doing it with devotion. Krishna says both lead to the goal, but selfless work is the easier road. The wise act in the world as a lotus leaf sits on water, untouched. They look with equal eyes on a scholar, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.

• The Bhagavad Gita, in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. Verse numbers follow the usual 700-verse count.

A learned pandit can recite the Gita in your home, for a blessing, an anniversary or in memory of a loved one.