God-Realisation

To the great soul who has the highest devotion to God, and as much to his teacher as to God, these truths that have been declared shine forth.

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः ॥ २३॥

One swan, the Self, is in the midst of this world; he is the very fire that has entered into the water. Only by knowing him does one pass beyond death; there is no other path to go by.

एको हंसः भुवनस्यास्य मध्ये स एवाग्निः सलिले संनिविष्टः । तमेव विदित्वा अतिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥ १५॥

I know this great Person, sun-colored, beyond darkness. Only by knowing him does one pass beyond death; there is no other path to go by.

वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्त- मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् । तमेव विदित्वातिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥ ८॥

One who knows that supreme Brahman becomes Brahman itself. In his family no one is born who does not know Brahman. He crosses beyond sorrow, crosses beyond evil, and, freed from the knots of the heart, becomes immortal.

स यो ह वै तत्परमं ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति नास्याब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति । तरति शोकं तरति पाप्मानं गुहाग्रन्थिभ्यो विमुक्तोऽमृतो भवति ॥ ९॥

Smaller than the small, greater than the great, the Self is set in the heart-cave of this creature. Free from desire and from sorrow, one beholds him, the majesty of the Lord, through the grace of the Creator.

अणोरणीयान् महतो महीया- नात्मा गुहायां निहितोऽस्य जन्तोः । तमक्रतुः पश्यति वीतशोको धातुः प्रसादान्महिमानमीशम् ॥ २०॥

Subtler than the subtle, greater than the great, the Self is set in the cave of the heart of this creature. One who is without craving sees it, freed from sorrow, and, by the grace of the Ordainer, beholds the greatness of the Self.

अणोरणीयान्महतो महीया- नात्माऽस्य जन्तोर्निहितो गुहायाम् । तमक्रतुः पश्यति वीतशोको धातुप्रसादान्महिमानमात्मनः ॥ २०॥

Having become Brahman, serene in self, he neither grieves nor desires. Regarding all beings as equal, he attains supreme devotion to me.

ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति | समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ||१८-५४||

By worshiping, through his own work, the One from whom all beings arise and by whom all this is pervaded, a person attains perfection.

यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् | स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ||१८-४६||

Whoever sees the supreme Lord abiding equally in all beings, undying amid the dying — he truly sees.

समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् | विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति ||१३-२८||

Fix your mind on me alone; place your understanding in me. Then you will dwell in me alone hereafter — of this there is no doubt.

मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय | निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ||१२-८||

But by undivided devotion, Arjuna, I can be known and truly seen in this form, and entered into, scorcher of foes.

भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन | ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप ||११-५४||

At the end of many births, the one who has knowledge takes refuge in me, realizing that Vasudeva is all. Such a great soul is very rare.

बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते | वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः ||७-१९||

he understood that bliss (ananda) is Brahman; for from bliss indeed are these beings born; by bliss, being born, they live; into bliss, when departing, they enter. This is the knowledge of Bhrigu and Varuna, established in the highest heaven. Whoever knows thus becomes established; he becomes possessed of food and an eater of food; he becomes great in offspring, cattle, and spiritual radiance, great in fame.

आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात् । आनन्दाध्येव खल्विमानि भूतानि जायन्ते । आनन्देन जातानि जीवन्ति । आनन्दं प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्तीति । सैषा भार्गवी वारुणी विद्या । परमे व्योमन्प्रतिष्ठिता । स य एवं वेद प्रतितिष्ठति । अन्नवानन्नादो भवति । महान्भवति प्रजया पशुभिर्ब्रह्मवर्चसेन । महान् कीर्त्या ॥ १॥

Whence words turn back, together with the mind, unable to reach it—one who knows that bliss of Brahman fears nothing at all. This is the embodied self of the former one. Different from and within this self made of mind is another self made of understanding (vijnana). By that this is filled. This too has the shape of a person; according to that one's human shape, this has human shape. Its head is faith; the right its right side; the true its left side; yoga the trunk; the great (mahah) the tail, the foundation. On this too there is this verse:

यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते । अप्राप्य मनसा सह । आनन्दं ब्रह्मणो विद्वान् । न बिभेति कदाचनेति । तस्यैष एव शारीर आत्मा । यः पूर्वस्य । तस्माद्वा एतस्मान्मनोमयात् । अन्योऽन्तर आत्मा विज्ञानमयः । तेनैष पूर्णः । स वा एष पुरुषविध एव । तस्य पुरुषविधताम् । अन्वयं पुरुषविधः । तस्य श्रद्धैव शिरः । ऋतं दक्षिणः पक्षः । सत्यमुत्तरः पक्षः । योग आत्मा । महः पुच्छं प्रतिष्ठा । तदप्येष श्लोको भवति ॥ १॥

Om. The knower of Brahman attains the Supreme. On this it has been said: 'Brahman is the real, knowledge, the infinite. Whoever knows it as set down in the cave of the heart, in the highest heaven, attains all desires together, along with the wise Brahman.' From this Self, indeed, space arose; from space, wind; from wind, fire; from fire, water; from water, earth; from earth, plants; from plants, food; from food, the person. This person is made of the essence of food. This is his head; this the right side; this the left side; this the trunk; this the tail, the foundation. On this too there is this verse:

ॐ ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । तदेषाऽभ्युक्ता । सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म । यो वेद निहितं गुहायां परमे व्योमन् । सोऽश्नुते सर्वान् कामान्सह । ब्रह्मणा विपश्चितेति ॥ तस्माद्वा एतस्मादात्मन आकाशः सम्भूतः । आकाशाद्वायुः । वायोरग्निः । अग्नेरापः । अद्भ्यः पृथिवी । पृथिव्या ओषधयः । ओषधीभ्योन्नम् । अन्नात्पुरुषः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्नरसमयः । तस्येदमेव शिरः । अयं दक्षिणः पक्षः । अयमुत्तरः पक्षः । अयमात्मा । इदं पुच्छं प्रतिष्ठा । तदप्येष श्लोको भवति ॥ १॥

This is Brahman; this is Indra; this is Prajapati; these are all the gods; and these five great elements—earth, air, space, water, and light; and these beings, as it were, mingled with the small; the seeds of the one kind and the other—those born from an egg, from a womb, from moisture, and by sprouting; horses, cattle, humans, elephants; whatever breathes here, moving or flying, and whatever is stationary. All this is guided by consciousness (prajnana), founded on consciousness. The world is guided by consciousness; consciousness is its foundation. Consciousness is Brahman.

एष ब्रह्मैष इन्द्र एष प्रजापतिरेते सर्वे देवा इमानि च पञ्चमहाभूतानि पृथिवी वायुराकाश आपो ज्योतींषीत्येतानीमानि च क्षुद्रमिश्राणीव । बीजानीतराणि चेतराणि चाण्डजानि च जारुजानि च स्वेदजानि चोद्भिज्जानि चाश्वा गावः पुरुषा हस्तिनो यत्किञ्चेदं प्राणि जङ्गमं च पतत्रि च यच्च स्थावरं सर्वं तत्प्रज्ञानेत्रं प्रज्ञाने प्रतिष्ठितं प्रज्ञानेत्रो लोकः प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठा प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म ॥ ३॥

Making one's own body the lower fire-stick and the syllable Om the upper fire-stick, by the practice of the churning that is meditation, one should behold God, hidden within.

स्वदेहमरणिं कृत्वा प्रणवं चोत्तरारणिम् । ध्याननिर्मथनाभ्यासादेवं पश्येन्निगूढवत् ॥ १४॥

This Self is not attained by teaching, nor by intellect, nor by much learning. It is attained only by the one whom it chooses; to him this Self reveals its own form.

नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन । यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूꣳ स्वाम् ॥ २३॥

Learn from me in brief, Kaunteya, how one who has attained perfection thereby attains Brahman, which is the highest culmination of knowledge.

सिद्धिं प्राप्तो यथा ब्रह्म तथाप्नोति निबोध मे | समासेनैव कौन्तेय निष्ठा ज्ञानस्य या परा ||१८-५०||

And he who serves me with unswerving yoga of devotion — he, having transcended these gunas, becomes fit for becoming Brahman.

मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते | स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ||१४-२६||