Knowing and Seeing

मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः ।
असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ॥1॥

The Lord said: With your mind fixed on me, Partha, taking refuge in me and practising this yoga, hear how you will know me completely, beyond all doubt.

ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ॥2॥

I will tell you this knowledge with its insight, and leave nothing out; knowing it, nothing else remains here to be known.

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।
यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥3॥

Among thousands of people, one perhaps strives for perfection; and of those who strive and succeed, one perhaps knows me as I am.

भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च ।
अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ॥4॥

Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, understanding and the sense of "I": this is my nature, divided eightfold.

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् ।
जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ॥5॥

That is the lower one. Know my other nature, the higher, mighty-armed one: it is life itself, and by it this world is held up.

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय ।
अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ॥6॥

Understand that all beings have these two for their womb. I am the source of this whole world, and its dissolving too.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय ।
मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥7॥

There is nothing at all higher than me, Dhananjaya. All this is strung on me like beads on a thread.

रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः ।
प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु ॥8॥

I am the taste in water, Kaunteya, the light in moon and sun, the sacred syllable in all the Vedas, sound in space, and manhood in men.

पुण्यो गन्धः पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ ।
जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु ॥9॥

I am the clean smell of the earth and the brightness in fire, the life in all beings and the discipline in those who practise it.

बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् ।
बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ॥10॥

Know me as the lasting seed of all beings, Partha. I am the understanding of those who understand, the brilliance of the brilliant.

बलं बलवतां चाहं कामरागविवर्जितम् ।
धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि भरतर्षभ ॥11॥

I am the strength of the strong, free of craving and attachment, best of the Bharatas, and in beings I am desire that does not go against dharma.

ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये ।
मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ॥12॥

Whatever states there are, of clarity, passion or dullness, know them to come from me. But I am not in them; they are in me.

त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत् ।
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम् ॥13॥

Confused by these three states made of the qualities, this whole world does not know me, who am beyond them and do not fade.

दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया ।
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥14॥

This divine power of mine, made of the qualities, is hard to get past. Those who come to me for shelter cross beyond it.

न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः ।
माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ॥15॥

Those who do harm, who are confused, who are the lowest of men, do not come to me; their knowledge is carried off by this power and they take to a dark way of being.

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन ।
आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ॥16॥

Four kinds of good people worship me, Arjuna: the one in distress, the one who wants to know, the one who wants something, and the one who knows.

तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते ।
प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ॥17॥

Of these, the one who knows, always joined to me and devoted to me alone, stands out. I am very dear to him, and he is dear to me.

उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् ।
आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥18॥

All of them are worthy, but the one who knows is, in my view, my very self; joined to me, he is settled in me as the highest goal.

बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते ।
वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः ॥19॥

At the end of many births, one who knows takes refuge in me, seeing that Vasudeva is all this. Such a great soul is very rare.

कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः ।
तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया ॥20॥

Those whose knowledge is carried off by this or that desire turn to other gods, held by their own nature, following this rule or that.

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति ।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥21॥

Whatever form a devotee wishes to worship with trust, it is I who make that very trust of his unshakeable.

स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते ।
लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ॥22॥

Joined to that trust, he worships that form and gets what he wants from it; but it is I who arranged those very things.

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् ।
देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥23॥

But for those of small understanding the fruit is a passing one. Those who worship gods go to the gods; those devoted to me come to me.

अव्यक्तं व्यक्तिमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः ।
परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम् ॥24॥

Those without understanding take me, the unmanifest, to have become manifest; they do not know my higher being, unfading and unsurpassed.

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः ।
मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥25॥

Veiled by my own power, I am not plain to everyone. This world, confused, does not know me as unborn and unfading.

वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन ।
भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥26॥

I know the beings that are gone, those that are here and those to come, Arjuna; but no one knows me.

इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत ।
सर्वभूतानि सम्मोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप ॥27॥

Confused by the pairs of opposites that rise from wanting and hating, Bharata, all beings fall into confusion the moment they are born.

येषां त्वन्तगतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम् ।
ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः ॥28॥

But those of good deeds whose wrong has come to an end are free of that confusion, and worship me, firm in their vow.

जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाश्रित्य यतन्ति ये ।
ते ब्रह्म तद्विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं कर्म चाखिलम् ॥29॥

Those who take refuge in me and strive for freedom from age and death come to know Brahman, and all that concerns the self, and action entire.

साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः ।
प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः ॥30॥

Those who know me together with what governs matter, the gods and the offering, know me even at the hour of leaving, their minds joined to me.