Akshara Brahma Yoga - The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman

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

Arjuna said: What is Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is Karma, O Supreme Person? What is said to be Adhibhuta, and what is called Adhidaiva?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन। प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः॥

Who is Adhiyajna, and how does He dwell in this body, O Madhusudana? And how are You to be known at the time of death by the self-controlled?

श्रीभगवानुवाच — अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते। भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः॥

The Supreme Lord said: The imperishable is the supreme Brahman. One's own nature is called Adhyatma. The creative force that causes the manifestation of beings is called Karma.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्। अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर॥

Adhibhuta is the perishable material nature; Adhidaiva is the cosmic being (Purusha); and Adhiyajna is Myself alone, here in this body, O best of the embodied.

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

Whoever, at the end of life, remembering Me alone, leaves the body and departs — he attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

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

Whatever state of being one remembers when giving up the body at the end, that very state one attains, O son of Kunti, being always absorbed in that thought.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च। मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम्॥

Therefore, at all times remember Me and fight. With your mind and intellect surrendered to Me, you shall certainly come to Me alone, without doubt.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना। परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन्॥

With the mind disciplined by the practice of yoga, not wandering to anything else, one who meditates constantly on the Supreme Divine Person attains Him, O Partha.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारम् अणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः। सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपम् आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्॥

He who meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler, subtler than the subtlest, the Sustainer of all, of inconceivable form, luminous like the sun, and beyond darkness...

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

...at the time of death, with an unwavering mind, endowed with devotion and the power of yoga, fixing the life-force between the eyebrows — he attains that Supreme Divine Person.

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

That which the knowers of the Vedas call the Imperishable, which the self-controlled and passion-free ascetics enter, and desiring which they practice brahmacharya — that goal I shall briefly describe to you.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च। मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम्॥

Closing all the gates of the senses, confining the mind in the heart, fixing the life-breath in the head, established in yogic concentration...

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

...uttering the single-syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me — whoever departs thus, leaving the body, attains the supreme goal.

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

For one who remembers Me constantly with an undivided mind, always united with Me, I am easy to attain, O Partha, for that ever-devoted yogi.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्। नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः॥

Having attained Me, the great souls do not take rebirth in this impermanent world, which is an abode of suffering, for they have reached the highest perfection.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन। मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते॥

All worlds, up to the realm of Brahma, are subject to return, O Arjuna. But having attained Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः। रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः॥

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

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे। रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके॥

At the coming of Brahma's day, all manifest beings come forth from the unmanifest; at the fall of night, they dissolve into that same unmanifest.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते। रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे॥

This same multitude of beings, coming into existence again and again, is dissolved helplessly at the fall of night and comes forth again at the arrival of day, O Partha.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः। यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति॥

But beyond that unmanifest, there is another eternal unmanifest existence which does not perish even when all beings are destroyed.

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

That unmanifest is called the Imperishable (Akshara); they call it the supreme destination. Having attained it, one never returns — that is My supreme abode.

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

That Supreme Person, O Partha, in whom all beings reside and by whom all this is pervaded — He is attainable only through undivided devotion.

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

I shall now describe to you, O best of Bharatas, the times at which yogis depart and return or do not return.

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

Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern solstice — departing by this path, the knowers of Brahman attain Brahman.

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

Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the southern solstice — by this path, the yogi attains the lunar light and returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते। एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः॥

These two paths — the light and the dark — are considered to be the eternal paths of the world. By one, one goes to no return; by the other, one returns again.

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

No yogi who knows these two paths is ever deluded, O Partha. Therefore, at all times, be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna.

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

The yogi who knows all this transcends the meritorious fruits declared for the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities, and charities, and attains the supreme, primeval abode.