The Imperishable

किं तद् ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥1॥

Arjuna said: What is that Brahman, Purushottama? What is the self? What is action? What is called the realm of matter, and what the realm of the gods?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन ।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥2॥

Who is the lord of the offering here in this body, Madhusudana, and how? And at the hour of leaving, how are you known by those who are restrained?

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते ।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥3॥

The Lord said: The imperishable is the highest Brahman. One's own being is called the self. The sending forth that brings beings into being is called action.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् ।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥4॥

What perishes is the realm of matter; the spirit is the realm of the gods; and I myself am the lord of the offering here in this body, best of the embodied.

अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् ।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥5॥

One who leaves the body at the end remembering me comes to my being; of this there is no doubt.

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् ।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥6॥

Whatever state a person remembers as he leaves the body at the end, Kaunteya, that is what he reaches, having dwelt in it all along.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च ।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥7॥

So remember me at all times, and fight. With mind and understanding given to me, you will come to me without a doubt.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना ।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥8॥

With a mind joined by steady practice and not straying elsewhere, Partha, one who keeps thinking of him reaches the highest, the divine spirit.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः ।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥9॥

One who remembers the seer, the ancient one, the ruler, subtler than the smallest, holder of all, of a form beyond thought, sun-coloured, beyond the dark,

प्रयाणकाले मनसाऽचलेन
भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव ।
भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्
स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥10॥

he, at the hour of leaving, with unmoving mind, with devotion and the strength of practice, setting the breath rightly between the brows, reaches that highest divine spirit.

यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति
विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः ।
यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति
तत्ते पदं सङ्ग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥11॥

That which knowers of the Veda call imperishable, which those free of longing enter, wanting which people live restrained lives: that state I will tell you in brief.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च ।
मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥12॥

Closing all the gates, holding the mind in the heart, setting one's breath in the head, settled in the steadiness of practice,

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् ।
यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥13॥

one who leaves the body uttering Om, the one syllable that is Brahman, and remembering me, goes to the highest.

अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः ।
तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥14॥

For the one who remembers me constantly, with a mind on nothing else, Partha, I am easy to reach; he is always joined to me.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् ।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥15॥

Having come to me, great souls do not return to birth, that passing house of sorrow; they have reached the highest fulfilment.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन ।
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥16॥

All worlds, up to the world of Brahma, return again, Arjuna. But once one has come to me, Kaunteya, there is no further birth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद् ब्रह्मणो विदुः ।
रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥17॥

Those who know that a day of Brahma lasts a thousand ages and his night as many, they are the ones who know day and night.

अव्यक्ताद् व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥18॥

At the coming of day all that shows forth comes out of the unshown; at the coming of night it dissolves back into that same unshown.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते ।
रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥19॥

This same crowd of beings, coming into being again and again, dissolves helplessly at nightfall, Partha, and appears again at daybreak.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः ।
यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥20॥

But beyond that unshown there is another, everlasting and unshown, which does not perish when all beings perish.

अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् ।
यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥21॥

That unshown and imperishable is called the highest goal; reaching it, one does not return. That is my highest abode.

पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया ।
यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥22॥

That highest spirit, Partha, within whom all beings are and by whom all this is spread out, is reached by devotion to him alone.

यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः ।
प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥23॥

I will tell you the times, best of the Bharatas, at which those who practise depart and do not return, and at which they return.

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥24॥

Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the sun's northward course: departing then, those who know Brahman go to Brahman.

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् ।
तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥25॥

Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the southward course: departing then, one reaches the moon's light and comes back.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते ।
एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥26॥

These two paths of the world, the bright and the dark, are held to be everlasting. By one a person goes and does not return; by the other he comes back again.

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन ।
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥27॥

No one who knows these two paths is confused, Partha. So at all times, Arjuna, stay joined in practice.

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव
दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् ।
अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा
योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥28॥

Whatever reward is laid down for the Vedas, for offerings, for austerities and for giving, one who knows this passes beyond all of it and reaches the first and highest place.