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The Yoga of the Imperishable
अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः · Akṣara-brahma-yoga · 28 verses
Arjuna asks seven plain questions about Brahman, the self, action and what happens at death. Krishna answers with a teaching about attention: whatever fills the mind at the end of life shapes what comes next, so the work is to train the mind to remember what matters, all through life. He also describes the vast cycles of creation and the two paths the soul may take after death.
Traditionally linked with Saturn and with the 8th and 12th houses, the areas of endings, loss, letting go and liberation. It is read during a heavy Saturn Dasha or through major life transformations, to meet fear of loss and ageing with steadiness and to practise remembering what matters most. It is a reflective practice, not a prediction.
अर्जुन उवाच
किं तद् ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥
arjuna uvāca
kiṃ tad brahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama |
adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate ||
अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन ।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥
adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko’tra dehe’sminmadhusūdana |
prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo’si niyatātmabhiḥ ||
Arjuna asks: what is Brahman, what is the self, and what is action? What is meant by the material realm and the divine realm? Who is the one behind sacrifice here in this body, and how? And how are You known at the time of death by those who have mastered themselves?
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते ।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca
akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo’dhyātmamucyate |
bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ ||
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् ।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥
adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam |
adhiyajño’hamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||
Krishna answers: the Imperishable is the highest Brahman; one's own inner nature is called the self; and the creative force that brings beings into existence is called action. The material realm is the changing nature, the divine realm is the cosmic person, and the one behind sacrifice in this body is I Myself.
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् ।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥
antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaram |
yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ ||
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् ।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥
yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram |
taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ||
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च ।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयः ॥
tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusmara yudhya ca |
mayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayaḥ ||
At the time of death, one who leaves the body remembering Me alone comes to My nature; of this there is no doubt. Whatever state of being a person remembers at the end when leaving the body, to that same state they go, because they have always been absorbed in it. So at all times remember Me and fight; with mind and intellect given to Me, you will come to Me without doubt.
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना ।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥
abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā |
paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan ||
कविं पुराणमनुशासितार- ।
मणोरणीयंसमनुस्मरेद्यः ।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप- ।
मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥
kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāra- |
maṇoraṇīyaṃsamanusmaredyaḥ |
sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpa- |
mādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||
प्रयाणकाले मनसाऽचलेन ।
भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव ।
भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक् ।
स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥
prayāṇakāle manasā’calena |
bhaktyā yukto yogabalena caiva |
bhruvormadhye prāṇamāveśya samyak |
sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam ||
With a mind trained by constant practice that does not wander elsewhere, a person who keeps thinking of the supreme divine Being reaches that Being. At the time of departure, with a steady mind, with devotion and with the strength of yoga, drawing the life-breath between the eyebrows, one who remembers the one who sees all, the ancient, the ruler, subtler than the subtlest, the support of everything, of unimaginable form, shining like the sun beyond darkness, reaches that supreme divine Person.
यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति ।
विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः ।
यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति ।
तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥
yadakṣaraṃ vedavido vadanti |
viśanti yadyatayo vītarāgāḥ |
yadicchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti |
tatte padaṃ saṃgraheṇa pravakṣye ||
सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च ।
मूध्न्यार्धायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥
sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca |
mūdhnyārdhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām ||
ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् ।
यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥
omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran |
yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||
I will tell you briefly about the state the Veda-knowers call imperishable, which ascetics free of desire enter, and which people seek by living in discipline. Closing all the gates of the body, holding the mind in the heart, drawing the life-breath into the head, and settled in yogic concentration, one who leaves the body while uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me, reaches the highest goal.
अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः ।
तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥
ananyacetāḥ satataṃ yo māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ |
tasyāhaṃ sulabhaḥ pārtha nityayuktasya yoginaḥ ||
मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् ।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥
māmupetya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam |
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||
आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन ।
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥
ābrahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino’rjuna |
māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ||
For one who always remembers Me with an undivided mind, I am easy to reach, for that yogi is always united with Me. Having come to Me, these great souls do not take birth again in this impermanent home of sorrow; they have reached the highest perfection. All the worlds, up to the realm of Brahma, are subject to return; but for one who has reached Me, there is no more rebirth.
सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद् ब्रह्मणो विदुः ।
रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥
sahasrayugaparyantamaharyad brahmaṇo viduḥ |
rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ te’horātravido janāḥ ||
अव्यक्ताद् व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे ।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame |
rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake ||
भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते ।
रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥
bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate |
rātryāgame’vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame ||
Those who know that a day of Brahma lasts a thousand ages and his night a thousand ages know day and night. When the day comes, all things come forth from the unmanifest; when night falls, they dissolve back into that same unmanifest. The same crowd of beings, coming into being again and again, dissolves helplessly when night comes and comes forth again when day comes.
परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः ।
यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥
parastasmāttu bhāvo’nyo’vyakto’vyaktātsanātanaḥ |
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ||
अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् ।
यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥
avyakto’kṣara ityuktastamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim |
yaṃ prāpya na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama ||
पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया ।
यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥
puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā |
yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṃ tatam ||
But beyond that unmanifest there is another, higher, unmanifest and eternal being that is not destroyed when all beings are destroyed. This is called the unmanifest and imperishable, the highest goal; those who reach it do not return, and it is My supreme home. That highest Person, Arjuna, is reached by single-hearted devotion; all beings rest in Him, and by Him all this is pervaded.
यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः ।
प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥
yatra kāle tvanāvṛttimāvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ |
prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ||
अग्निर्जोतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् ।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥
agnirjotirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam |
tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ ||
धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् ।
तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥
dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam |
tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate ||
शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते ।
एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥
śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate |
ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayāvartate punaḥ ||
Now I will tell you the times at which yogis who depart do not return, and the times at which they do. Fire, light, daytime, the bright fortnight and the six months of the sun's northward course: departing then, those who know Brahman go to Brahman. Smoke, night, the dark fortnight and the six months of the sun's southward course: the yogi who departs then reaches the moon's light and returns. These two paths, bright and dark, are held to be eternal for the world; by one a person does not return, by the other they return.
नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन ।
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥
naite sṛtī pārtha jānanyogī muhyati kaścana |
tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna ||
वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव ।
दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् ।
अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा ।
योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥
vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva |
dāneṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam |
atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā |
yogī paraṃ sthānamupaiti cādyam ||
Knowing these two paths, the yogi is not confused; so at all times, Arjuna, be steady in yoga. The yogi who knows this goes beyond the merit promised for the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts, and reaches the highest, original state.
The verses are the traditional Sanskrit text. The explanations are original summaries, not a particular translator's words. The astrology guide is a devotional, reflective practice, not a prediction and not a substitute for professional advice.