Akshara Brahma Yoga

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम। अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते॥ 8:1॥

O, Supreme Soul! Please enlighten me about Brahm (God in His supreme, formless aspect), Adhyātma, karma (action), Adhibhuta, and Adhidaiva {the concepts you have just mentioned}. (8:1)

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन। प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः॥ 8:2॥

O, Madhusudana! Who is Adhiyajna? And how does He dwell in the body? By those who have accomplished self-restraint, how is {God} known in the final moments of departure of the soul from the body? (8:2)

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते। भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः॥ 8:3॥

Brahm is the Imperishable Supreme Reality; the nature of one's spirit is spirituality (Adhyātma); karma, or action, is the force that drives the creation and expansion of the universe. (8:3)

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्। अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर॥ 8:4॥

I am the Adhibhut, Lord of the transient material universe, and Adhidaiva, the Lord of the divine realm. It is none other than Me who resides within the beings as Adhiyajna, the Lord of yajna, O, Arjuna, the Best of the Embodied Souls! (8:4)

अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्। यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः॥ 8:5॥

There is no doubt that he who proceeds on an onward journey leaving the body, with Me and Me alone in his mind in the final moments of life, attains the state of My Being. (8:5)

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्। तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः॥ 8:6॥

Upon rebirth, an individual invariably acquires a new physical form in accordance with the thoughts and emotions that dominated their mind at the time of their previous departure, O, Son of Kunti! (8:6)

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च। मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम्॥ 8:7॥

Hence, always maintain your remembrance of Me, even in the heat of battle. With your heart and mind fully devoted to Me and no one else, you shall undoubtedly reach Me. (8:7)

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

O, Son of Prithā! With the constant practice of focusing the mind on Me without allowing the mind to wander here and there, one can reach the divine Supreme Being by ceaselessly contemplating Me. (8:8)

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः। सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्॥ 8:9॥

He, who meditates on the One that is Omniscient, Primordial, Ruler of the Universe, Sustainer, and Provider of all, Subtler than the subtlest whose Form is beyond comprehension, and who is Effulgent like the sun, absolutely beyond murk and gloom; (8:9)

प्रयाणकाले मनसाचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव। भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक् स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम्॥ 8:10॥

He, who in the final moments of his life, imbued with Bhakti (loving devotion), uses the science of the {Meditative} Yoga to focus his mind between his eyebrows and who leaves the body remembering Me with an unwavering mind, is drawn into the Self of the Divine Being. (8:10)

यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः। यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं सङ्ग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये॥ 8:11॥

I briefly describe to you that station the knowers of the Vedas describe as imperishable, which ascetics freed from all worldly cravings enter, pursuing a life of celibacy in their quest for it. (8:11)

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च। मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम्॥ 8:12॥ ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्। यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्॥ 8:13॥

With all the bodily gates firmly closed {shutting out incursion of all sensory and other influences}, the mind centered within the heart, life force fixed in the cerebrum deep in Yogic concentration, (8:12) With Me in mind and well established in Aum {the audible icon of} Brahm (God-the-Supreme), the one who departs from his mortal frame ascends to the Highest Station of Divine Existence. (8:13)

अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः। तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः॥ 8:14॥

O, Son of Prithā! I am easily attainable by Yogis, who regularly remember Me and always have Me in mind and no one else. (8:14)

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्। नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः॥ 8:15॥

The great souls with the highest spiritual attainments, having reached Me, never fall into rebirth, which is the house of misery and impermanence. (8:15)

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन। मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते॥ 8:16॥

Men fall into rebirth from the supernal planet of Brahmā and all other ethereal worlds downwards. But, on reaching Me, O, son of Kunti, there is no return to reincarnations. (8:16)

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः। रात्रिं युगसहस्त्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः॥ 8:17॥

{Indeed, the relaxation on the ethereal planet of the Semi-God Brahmā is long since} One day of Brahmā is equal to one thousand yugas of the humans, and so is the night of Brahmā. Those who comprehend this truth grasp the profound mysteries of Time. (8:17)

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे। रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके॥ 8:18॥

As the day breaks on Brahmā's celestial abode, all living beings emerge from the Unmanifest {Nature}, and at the conclusion of his day, they retreat into the Unmanifest, where they rest until the next day. (8:18)

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते। रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे॥ 8:19॥

O, Arjuna, Son of Prithā! Creatures, after countless cycles of birth and death, are helplessly drawn back into the Unmanifest when the night of Brahmā arrives, only to emerge once more from that Unmanifest at the onset of Brahmā's day, perpetually trapped in a relentless cycle of painful incarnations. (8:19)

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः। यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति॥ 8:20॥

Beyond the Unmanifest {Nature} lies the eternal Unmanifest Station {of Mine}, which never ceases to exist even when everything else goes out of existence. (8:20)

अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम्। यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम॥ 8:21॥

The one described as "Unmanifest" and "Indestructible" is called "Parama Gati" or the Supreme Destination, from where no one falls back into the cosmic order of rebirths. It is My {Supracosmic} Paramount Abode. (8:21)

पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया। यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम्॥ 8:22॥

O, Pārtha! That Supreme Person, Who serves as the Abode of all existences and who permeates everything, is attainable through single-minded loving devotion (Bhakti). (8:22)

यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः। प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ॥ 8:23॥

O, Bharata Scion! I will now explain the times of death that lead Yogis to attain Nirvāna and those that result in their return to the cycle of birth and death. (8:23)

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्। तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः॥ 8:24॥

Those who have realized the formless aspect of God, Brahm, attain to Him when they {voluntarily and consciously} relinquish their physical body during the presence of fire, light, daytime, the bright half of the lunar month, and the six months when the sun follows its northern course (Uttarāyana). (8:24)

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम्। तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते॥ 8:25॥

The Yogi who leaves his body during conditions marked by smoke, nighttime, the dark half of the lunar month, and the six months when the sun takes its southern path, attains the lunar light and returns to be reborn. (8:25)

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते। एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः॥ 8:26॥

These two ways of exiting the world are said to be eternal. The way of light leads to liberation from birth and death, while the way of darkness leads to the bondage of obligatory rebirth. (8:26)

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन। तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन॥ 8:27॥

Arjuna, the knowledge of these paths does not confound a Yogi. Therefore, Pārtha, always remain resolute in your Yoga practice. (8:27)

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम्। अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम्।। 8:28

Having known these (secrets revealed in the chapter), the Yogi transcends the rewards of virtuous deeds attributed to the study of the Vedas, and Vedic yajnas (sacrificial fire-ceremonies). He also surpasses the merits of ascetic practices and benefaction, and finally reaches the Supreme Abode {of God}, their Original Home. (8:28)