The Royal Secret

इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं प्रवक्ष्याम्यनसूयवे ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितं यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥1॥

The Lord said: To you, who do not carp, I will tell this most secret knowledge with its insight; knowing it, you will be free of harm.

राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ।
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ॥2॥

This is the king of knowledge, the king of secrets, the highest cleanser, understood directly, in keeping with dharma, easy to practise and unfading.

अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा धर्मस्यास्य परन्तप ।
अप्राप्य मां निवर्तन्ते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि ॥3॥

Those who put no trust in this way, scorcher of foes, do not reach me; they come back on the road of death and rebirth.

मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना ।
मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः ॥4॥

All this world is spread out by me in a form that does not show. All beings rest in me, but I do not rest in them.

न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ।
भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः ॥5॥

And yet beings do not rest in me. Look at the power that is mine: carrying beings and yet not resting in them, my very self is what brings them into being.

यथाकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायुः सर्वत्रगो महान् ।
तथा सर्वाणि भूतानि मत्स्थानीत्युपधारय ॥6॥

As the great wind that goes everywhere always rests in space, so, understand, all beings rest in me.

सर्वभूतानि कौन्तेय प्रकृतिं यान्ति मामिकाम् ।
कल्पक्षये पुनस्तानि कल्पादौ विसृजाम्यहम् ॥7॥

At the end of an age all beings return into my nature, Kaunteya, and at the start of an age I send them forth again.

प्रकृतिं स्वामवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः ।
भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात् ॥8॥

Resting on my own nature I send forth again and again this whole crowd of beings, helpless as they are under nature's sway.

न च मां तानि कर्माणि निबध्नन्ति धनञ्जय ।
उदासीनवदासीनमसक्तं तेषु कर्मसु ॥9॥

Those actions do not bind me, Dhananjaya; I sit among them like one who has no stake, unattached.

मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते सचराचरम् ।
हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद्विपरिवर्तते ॥10॥

Under my eye nature gives birth to all that moves and does not move, Kaunteya; this is why the world keeps turning.

अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् ।
परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ॥11॥

The confused look down on me when I take a human form, not knowing my higher being as the great lord of all beings.

मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः ।
राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ॥12॥

Their hopes empty, their work empty, their knowledge empty, without discernment, they take to a harsh and dark nature that leads them astray.

महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः ।
भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥13॥

But great souls who take to the divine nature, Partha, worship me with minds on nothing else, knowing me as the unfading source of beings.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां यतन्तश्च दृढव्रताः ।
नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ॥14॥

Always singing of me, striving, firm in their vows, bowing to me with devotion, they worship me, constantly joined.

ज्ञानयज्ञेन चाप्यन्ये यजन्तो मामुपासते ।
एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन बहुधा विश्वतोमुखम् ॥15॥

Others worship me with the offering of knowledge: some as one, some as many, some as the one whose faces are turned everywhere.

अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाहमहमौषधम् ।
मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥16॥

I am the rite and the offering, the food for the ancestors and the healing herb; I am the sacred word, the clarified butter, the fire, and the pouring itself.

पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः ।
वेद्यं पवित्रमोङ्कार ऋक्साम यजुरेव च ॥17॥

I am the father of this world, the mother, the sustainer, the grandsire; I am what is to be known, the purifier, the syllable Om, and the Rig, the Sama and the Yajus.

गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत् ।
प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥18॥

I am the goal, the upholder, the lord, the witness, the dwelling, the shelter, the friend; the arising, the dissolving, the ground, the resting place, the unfading seed.

तपाम्यहमहं वर्षं निगृह्णाम्युत्सृजामि च ।
अमृतं चैव मृत्युश्च सदसच्चाहमर्जुन ॥19॥

I give heat, I hold back the rain and send it, Arjuna. I am deathlessness and death, and what is and what is not.

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापा
यज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते ।
ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोकमश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥20॥

Knowers of the three Vedas, drinkers of soma, cleansed of wrong, worship me with offerings and ask for heaven; reaching the world of Indra by their merit, they enjoy the pleasures of the gods there.

ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालं
क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।
एवं त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्ना
गतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते ॥21॥

Having enjoyed that wide heaven, their merit spent, they return to the world of mortals. Following the way of the three Vedas and wanting what they want, they get only this coming and going.

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥22॥

For those who think of nothing but me and worship me, always joined to me, I myself carry what they need and keep what they have.

येऽप्यन्यदेवता भक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः ।
तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम् ॥23॥

Even those who worship other gods with trust are worshipping me, Kaunteya, though not in the way laid down.

अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च ।
न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥24॥

For I am the one to whom all offerings come, and their lord. But they do not know me as I am, and so they fall back.

यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः ।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ॥25॥

Those devoted to the gods go to the gods, those devoted to the ancestors go to them, those who worship spirits go to the spirits; those who worship me come to me.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥26॥

A leaf, a flower, a fruit, water: whoever offers me these with devotion, I accept what is offered with love by one whose heart is clean.

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् ।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥27॥

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever you give, whatever discipline you keep, Kaunteya, do it as an offering to me.

शुभाशुभफलैरेवं मोक्ष्यसे कर्मबन्धनैः ।
संन्यासयोगयुक्तात्मा विमुक्तो मामुपैष्यसि ॥28॥

So you will be freed of the bonds of action, with their good and bad fruit. With your mind joined to the yoga of letting go, you will be free and will come to me.

समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥29॥

I am the same in all beings; none is hateful to me and none dear. But those who worship me with devotion are in me, and I am in them.

अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् ।
साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ॥30॥

Even if someone of very bad conduct worships me and nothing else, he is to be counted among the good, for his resolve is right.

क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति ।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति ॥31॥

He soon becomes a person of dharma and comes to lasting peace. Declare it plainly, Kaunteya: no one devoted to me is ever lost.

मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः ।
स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम् ॥32॥

Whoever takes refuge in me, Partha, whatever their birth, women, traders, workers too, they also reach the highest goal.

किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणाः पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा ।
अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥33॥

How much more, then, pure brahmins and devoted royal sages. Having come to this passing world, where there is little happiness, worship me.

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।
मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायणः ॥34॥

Fix your mind on me, be devoted to me, worship me, bow to me. Joining yourself this way, with me as your goal, you will come to me.