Akshara Brahma Yoga

Arjuna said

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥

kiṃ tadbrahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama
adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate

What is that Brahman? What is the Self within? What is action, Purushottama? What is called the realm of beings, and what the realm of the gods?

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko'tra dehe'sminmadhusūdana
prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo'si niyatātmabhiḥ

Who is the lord of sacrifice here in this body, and how, Madhusudana? And how are you to be known at the hour of death by those who are self-controlled?

Krishna said

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥

akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo'dhyātmamucyate
bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ

The imperishable is the supreme Brahman; its own nature is called the Self within; the creative force that brings beings into existence is called action.

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam
adhiyajño'hamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara

The realm of beings is the perishable; the realm of the gods is the cosmic Person; and I myself, here in the body, am the lord of sacrifice, best of the embodied.

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

antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ

Whoever leaves the body at the time of death remembering me alone comes to my being; of this there is no doubt.

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥

tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusmara yudhya ca
mayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayam

So remember me at all times, and fight. With mind and intellect offered to me, you will surely come to me.

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥

abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā
paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan

With a mind disciplined by practice, not wandering elsewhere, constantly meditating, one reaches the supreme divine Person, Partha.

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार
मणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप
मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥

kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāra
maṇoraṇīyāṃsamanusmaredyaḥ
sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpa
mādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt

One should meditate on the Seer, the ancient, the ruler, smaller than the atom, the sustainer of all, of unthinkable form, radiant like the sun, beyond all darkness;

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

at the time of departure, with an unmoving mind, joined in devotion and by the strength of yoga, drawing the life-breath fully between the brows, one 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

What the knowers of the Veda call the imperishable, what ascetics free from passion enter, what people keep celibacy to reach: that state I will describe to you briefly.

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च।
मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥

sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca
mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām

Closing all the gates of the body, holding the mind in the heart, drawing the life-breath into the head, established in the concentration of yoga,

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

ananyacetāḥ satataṃ yo māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ
tasyāhaṃ sulabhaḥ pārtha nityayuktasya yoginaḥ

For one who remembers me constantly, every day, with mind never turned elsewhere, I am easy to reach, Partha, for that ever-disciplined yogi.

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥

māmupetya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ

Having come to me, great souls who have reached the highest perfection do not return to rebirth, that impermanent home of sorrow.

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन।
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥

ābrahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino'rjuna
māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate

All worlds, up to the realm of Brahma, return again, Arjuna; but having come to me, son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः।
रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥

sahasrayugaparyantamaharyadbrahmaṇo viduḥ
rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ te'horātravido janāḥ

Those who know that a day of Brahma lasts a thousand ages, and his night a thousand ages, truly know day and night.

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥

avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame
rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake

At the coming of that day, all manifest things emerge from the unmanifest; at the coming of night they dissolve into that same unmanifest.

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते।
रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥

bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātryāgame'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame

This same multitude of beings, coming into being again and again, dissolves helplessly at the coming of night, Partha, and emerges again at the coming of day.

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः।
यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥

parastasmāttu bhāvo'nyo'vyakto'vyaktātsanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati

But beyond that unmanifest there is another, eternal unmanifest being, which does not perish when all beings perish.

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

avyakto'kṣara ityuktastamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim
yaṃ prāpya na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama

That unmanifest is called the imperishable; they call it the highest goal. Those who reach it do not return. That is my supreme abode.

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

puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā
yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṃ tatam

That supreme Person, Partha, in whom all beings dwell and by whom all this is pervaded, is reached by undivided devotion.

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

yatra kāle tvanāvṛttimāvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ
prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha

Now I will tell you, best of the Bharatas, the times at which yogis depart never to return, and at which they return.

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

agnirjyotirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ

Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the sun's northern course: departing then, knowers of Brahman go to Brahman.

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

dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam
tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate

Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, the six months of the sun's southern course: departing then, the yogi reaches the light of the moon and returns.

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते।
एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययाऽऽवर्तते पुनः ॥

śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate
ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayā''vartate punaḥ

These two paths, the bright and the dark, are thought to be eternal for the world. By one, one goes and does not return; by the other, one returns again.

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

naite sṛtī pārtha jānanyogī muhyati kaścana
tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna

Knowing these two paths, Partha, no yogi is ever deluded. So at all times, Arjuna, be steadfast in yoga.

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

Whatever merit is said to come from the Vedas, from sacrifices, austerities and gifts, the yogi who knows this goes beyond it all and reaches the supreme, primal abode.