अक्षरब्रह्मयोग

अर्जुन उवाच । किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम । अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥

Arjuna said: O Purushottama, what is that Brahman? What is the individual self? What is action? What is called the material domain, and what is called the divine domain?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन । प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥

How and who is the Lord of sacrifice here in this body, O Madhusudana? And how are You known at the time of death by those of disciplined mind?

श्रीभगवानुवाच । अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते । भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥

The Supreme Lord said: The imperishable Supreme is Brahman; one's own essential nature is called the individual self. The creative force that brings forth the existence of beings is called action.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् । अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

The perishable material nature is the material domain; the cosmic person is the divine domain. And I alone, O best among embodied beings, am the Lord of sacrifice within this body.

अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् । यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥

And whoever, at the time of death, gives up the body while remembering Me alone, attains My very being; of this there is no doubt.

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् । तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥

Whatever state of being one remembers when giving up the body at the end, that very state he attains, O son of Kunti, ever having been absorbed in that thought.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥

Therefore, at all times, remember Me and fight. With mind and intellect surrendered to Me, you shall come to Me without doubt.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना । परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥

One who constantly meditates with a mind steadied through the practice of yoga, not wandering elsewhere, attains the Supreme Divine Person, O Partha.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः । सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥

One who meditates on the omniscient, the ancient, the ruler of all, smaller than the smallest, the sustainer of all, of inconceivable form, radiant like the sun, and beyond all darkness,

प्रयाणकाले मनसाऽचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव । भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक् स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥

At the time of death, with an unwavering mind, endowed with devotion and the power of yoga, and rightly fixing the life-breath between the eyebrows, one attains that Supreme Divine Person.

यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः । यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं सङ्ग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥

That imperishable state which the knowers of the Vedas speak of, which the passionless ascetics enter, and desiring which seekers practice celibacy, I shall explain to you in brief.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च । मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥

Restraining all the gates of the senses, confining the mind within the heart, fixing the life-breath at the crown of the head, established in the practice of yoga,

ॐइत्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् । यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥

Uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me, whoever departs, leaving the body, attains the supreme goal.

अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः । तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥

For the yogi who constantly remembers Me with an undivided mind, always united with Me, I am easily attainable, O Partha.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् । नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥

Having attained Me, great souls who have reached the highest perfection do not take rebirth into this world of suffering, which is impermanent.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन । मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥

All the worlds, up to the abode of Brahma, are subject to return, O Arjuna; but having attained Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः । रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥

Those who know that Brahma's day lasts a thousand ages, and that his night also lasts a thousand ages, truly understand day and night.

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे । रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥

At the coming of Brahma's day, all manifest beings arise from the unmanifest; at the coming of his night, they dissolve back into that very unmanifest state.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते । रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥

This same multitude of beings, coming into existence again and again, dissolves helplessly at the coming of night, O Partha, and arises again at the coming of day.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः । यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥

But beyond that unmanifest state, there is yet another eternal unmanifest reality, which does not perish even when all beings perish.

अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् । यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥

That unmanifest is called the imperishable; they call it the highest goal. Having attained it, none return; that is My supreme abode.

पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया । यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥

That Supreme Person, O Partha, in whom all beings dwell and by whom this entire universe is pervaded, is attainable only through unswerving devotion.

यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः । प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥

Now I shall tell you, O best of the Bharatas, the times at which yogis, departing, attain either non-return or return.

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् । तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥

Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the sun's northward course — departing by this path, those who know Brahman attain Brahman.

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् । तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥

Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the sun's southward course — departing by this path, the yogi attains the light of the moon and returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते । एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥

These two paths, the bright and the dark, are considered eternal for the world. By one, a person attains non-return; by the other, he returns again.

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन । तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥

Knowing these two paths, O Partha, no yogi is ever deluded. Therefore, O Arjuna, be steadfast in yoga at all times.

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् । अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥

Whatever meritorious result is promised through the study of the Vedas, through sacrifices, austerities, and charitable gifts, the yogi transcends all of it by knowing this truth, and attains the supreme, primeval abode.