अक्षरब्रह्मयोग

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम। अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते

॥ 8.1 ॥

What is the Brahman, what is Adhyatma, what is karma, O best of Purushas? What is called Adhibhuta, and what Adhidaiva?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन। प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः

॥ 8.2 ॥

Who, and in what way, is Adhiyajna here in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how are You known at the time of death, by the self-controlled?

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते। भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः

॥ 8.3 ॥

The Imperishable is the Supreme Brahman. Its dwelling in each individual body is called Adhyatma; the offering in sacrifice which causes the genesis and support of beings, is called karma.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्। अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर

॥ 8.4 ॥

The perishable adjunct is the Adhibhuta, and the Indweller is the Adhidaivata; I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best of the embodied.

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

॥ 8.5 ॥

And he who at the time of death, meditating on Me alone, goes forth, leaving the body, attains My Being: there is no doubt about this.

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

॥ 8.6 ॥

Remembering whatever object, at the end, he leaves the body, that alone is reached by him, O son of Kunti, (because) of his constant thought of that object.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च। मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम्

॥ 8.7 ॥

Therefore, at all times, constantly remember Me, and fight. With mind and intellect absorbed in Me, you shall doubtless come to Me.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना। परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन्

॥ 8.8 ॥

With the mind not moving towards anything else, made steadfast by the method of habitual meditation, and dwelling on the Supreme, Resplendent Purusha, O son of Pritha, one goes to Him.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार मणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः। सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्

॥ 8.9 ॥

The Omniscient, the Ancient, the Overruler, minuter than an atom, the Sustainer of all, of form inconceivable, self-luminous like the sun, and beyond the darkness of Maya–he who meditates on Him thus, at the time of death, full of devotion, with the mind unmoving, and also by the power of yoga, fixing the whole prana betwixt the eyebrows, he goes to that Supreme, Resplendent Purusha.

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

॥ 8.10 ॥

The Omniscient, the Ancient, the Overruler, minuter than an atom, the Sustainer of all, of form inconceivable, self-luminous like the sun, and beyond the darkness of Maya–he who meditates on Him thus, at the time of death, full of devotion, with the mind unmoving, and also by the power of yoga, fixing the whole prana betwixt the eyebrows, he goes to that Supreme, Resplendent Purusha.

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

॥ 8.11 ॥

What the knowers of the Veda speak of as Imperishable, what the self- controlled (Sannyasis), freed from attachment enter, and to gain which goal they live the life of a Brahmachari, that I shall declare unto thee in brief.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च। मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम्

॥ 8.12 ॥

Controlling all the senses, confining the mind in the heart, drawing the prana into the head, occupied in the practice of concentration, uttering the one-syllabled “Om”–the Brahman, and meditating on Me–he who so departs, leaving the body, attains the Supreme Goal.

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्। यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्

॥ 8.13 ॥

Controlling all the senses, confining the mind in the heart, drawing the prana into the head, occupied in the practice of concentration, uttering the one-syllabled “Om”–the Brahman, and meditating on Me–he who so departs, leaving the body, attains the Supreme Goal.

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

॥ 8.14 ॥

I am easily attainable by that ever-steadfast Yogi who remembers Me constantly and daily, with a single mind, O son of Pritha.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्। नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः

॥ 8.15 ॥

Reaching the highest perfection and having attained Me, the great-souled ones are no more subject to rebirth–which is the home of pain, and ephemeral.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन। मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते

॥ 8.16 ॥

All the worlds, O Arjuna, including the realm of Brahma, are subject to return, but after attaining Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः। रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः

॥ 8.17 ॥

They who know (the true measure of) day and night, know the day of Brahma, which ends in a thousand Yugas, and the night which (also) ends in a thousand Yugas.

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे। रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके

॥ 8.18 ॥

At the approach of (Brahma’s) day, all manifestations proceed from the unmanifested state; at the approach of night, they merge verily into that alone, which is called the unmanifested.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते। रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे

॥ 8.19 ॥

The very same multitude of beings (that existed in the preceding day of Brahma), being born again and again, merge, in spite of themselves, O son of Pritha, (into the unmanifested), at the approach of night, and re-manifest at the approach of day.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः। यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति

॥ 8.20 ॥

But beyond this unmanifested, there is that other Unmanifested, Eternal Existence–That which is not destroyed at the destruction of all beings.

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

॥ 8.21 ॥

What has been called Unmanifested and Imperishable, has been described as the Goal Supreme. That is My highest state, having attained which, there is no return.

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

॥ 8.22 ॥

And that Supreme Purusha is attainable, O son of Pritha, by whole-souled devotion to Him alone, in Whom all beings dwell, and by Whom all this is pervaded.

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

॥ 8.23 ॥

Now I shall tell thee, O bull of the Bharatas, of the time (path) travelling in which, the Yogis return, (and again of that, taking which) they do not return.

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्। तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः

॥ 8.24 ॥

Fire flame, daytime, the bright fortnight, the six months of the Northern passage of the sun–taking this path, the knowers of Brahman go to Brahman.

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम्। तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते

॥ 8.25 ॥

Smoke, night-time, the dark fortnight, the six months of the Southern passage of the sun–taking this path the Yogi, attaining the lunar light, returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते। एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययाऽऽवर्तते पुनः

॥ 8.26 ॥

Truly are these bright and dark paths of the world considered eternal: one leads to non-return; by the other, one returns.

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन। तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन

॥ 8.27 ॥

No Yogi, O son of Pritha, is deluded after knowing these paths. Therefore, O Arjuna, be steadfast in yoga, at all times.

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

॥ 8.28 ॥

Whatever meritorious effect is declared (in the Scriptures) to accrue from (the study of) the Vedas, (the performance of) yajnas, (the practice of) austerities and gifts–above all this rises the Yogi, having known this, and attains to the primeval, supreme Abode.