अक्षरब्रह्मयोग

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

arjuna uvāca kiṃ tadbrahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama | adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate ||

Arjuna said: What is Brahman? What is adhyatma (the Self)? What is karma, O Supreme Person? What is called adhibhuta? And what is adhidaiva?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन । प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko'tra dehe'sminmadhusūdana | prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo'si niyatātmabhiḥ ||

Who is adhiyajna and how does it exist in this body, O Madhusudana? And how, at the time of death, are you to be known by the self-controlled?

श्रीभगवानुवाच अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते । भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥

śrī bhagavān uvāca akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo'dhyātmamucyate | bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ ||

The Blessed Lord said: Brahman is the Supreme Imperishable. Adhyatma is said to be one's own nature (svabhava). Karma is the name for the creative force that causes the arising of beings.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् । अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam | adhiyajño'hamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||

Adhibhuta is the perishable nature. Adhidaiva is the Purusha (the cosmic person). And the adhiyajna is I Myself here in this body, O best of the embodied.

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

antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaram | yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ ||

And whoever, at the time of death, leaves the body remembering Me alone — comes to My state. Of this there is no doubt.

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

yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram | taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ||

Whatever state of being one remembers at the final moment of leaving the body, O son of Kunti — to that state alone does one go, always shaped by that becoming.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥

tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusara yudhya ca | mayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayam ||

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

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना । परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥

abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā | paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan ||

With a mind made steady by the yoga of practice, not going anywhere else, constantly meditating — one attains the Supreme Divine Purusha, O Partha.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार मणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः । सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपम् आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥

kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāraṃ aṇoraṇīyāṃsamanusmaredyaḥ | sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpam ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||

One should meditate on the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler, subtler than the subtle, the Supporter of all, of inconceivable form, brilliant like the sun, beyond darkness —

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

prayāṇakāle manasācalena bhaktyā yukto yogabalena caiva | bhruvormadhye prāṇamāveśya samyak sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam ||

At the time of departure, with an unmoving mind, endowed with devotion and by the power of yoga, fixing the vital breath between the eyebrows — one reaches that Supreme Divine Person.

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

yadakṣaraṃ vedavido vadanti viśanti yadyatayo vītarāgāḥ | yadicchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti tatte padaṃ saṃgraheṇa pravakṣye ||

That which the knowers of the Veda declare as the Imperishable; into which the self-controlled and free from passion enter; desiring which people practice brahmacharya — that goal I shall briefly declare to you.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च । मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥

sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca | mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām ||

Having controlled all the gates (of the body), having confined the mind in the heart, having fixed the vital breath in the head — established in the concentration of yoga —

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

omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran | yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||

Uttering the single syllable Om — Brahman — and remembering Me, whoever departs, leaving the body — that person goes to the supreme goal.

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

ananyacetāḥ satataṃ yo māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ | tasyāhaṃ sulabhaḥ pārtha nityayuktasya yoginaḥ ||

For the yogi who constantly remembers Me with an undivided mind and thinks of nothing else — for that ever-steadfast yogi, I am easily attained, O Partha.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् । नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥

māmupetya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam | nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||

Having come to Me, the great souls do not take birth again in this impermanent abode of suffering — they have attained the highest perfection.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन । मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥

ābrahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino'rjuna | māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ||

All the worlds, up to the realm of Brahma, are subject to return, O Arjuna. But having come to Me, O son of Kunti, rebirth does not happen.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः । रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥

sahasrayugaparyantamaharyad brahmaṇo viduḥ | rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ te'horātravido janāḥ ||

Those who know that Brahma's day spans a thousand yugas and that Brahma's night spans a thousand yugas — they are knowers of day and night.

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे । रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥

avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavanttyaharāgame | rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake ||

At the coming of Brahma's day, all manifest beings arise from the unmanifest. At the coming of night, they dissolve into that same unmanifest.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते । रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥

bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate | rātryāgame'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame ||

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

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः । यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥

parastasmāttu bhāvo'nyo'vyakto'vyaktātsanātanaḥ | yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ||

But beyond that unmanifest there is another unmanifest — eternal — which does not perish when all beings perish.

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

avyakto'kṣara ityuktastamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim | yaṃ prāpya na nivartante taddḥāma paramaṃ mama ||

That unmanifest, called the Imperishable — it is declared to be the supreme goal. Having reached which, none return — that is My supreme abode.

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

puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā | yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṃ tatam ||

That Supreme Purusha, O Partha, in whom all beings exist and by whom all this is pervaded — is attained by undivided devotion.

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

yatra kāle tvanāvṛttimāvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ | prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ||

Now I shall tell you, O best of Bharatas, the times at which departing yogis go to non-return, and those at which they go to return.

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

agniryotirahah śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam | tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavidojanāḥ ||

Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight of the moon, the six months of the northern course of the sun — departing in these, those who know Brahman go to Brahman.

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

dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam | tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate ||

Smoke, night, the dark fortnight of the moon, the six months of the southern course of the sun — departing in these, the yogi attains the lunar light and returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते । एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥

śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate | ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayāvartate punaḥ ||

These two paths — bright and dark — are considered eternal for this world. By one, one goes to non-return; by the other, one returns again.

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

naite sṛtī pārtha jānanyogī muhyati kaścana | tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna ||

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

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

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva dāneṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam | atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānamupeti cādyam ||

Having known all this, the yogi surpasses whatever meritorious fruits are prescribed for study of the Vedas, for sacrifices, for austerities, and for gifts — and attains the supreme primal abode.