Yad aksharam veda-vido vadanti vishanti yad yatayo vita-ragah, yad icchanto brahma-caryam caranti tat te padam sangrahena pravakshye
Persons learned in the Vedas speak of the indestructible imperishable Brahman. The great sages, freed from attachment, enter into it. Those who seek this goal practice celibacy (brahmacharya). I shall now explain to you concisely this imperishable goal. Krishna prepares to describe Om and the method of attaining the imperishable Brahman, connecting Vedic wisdom to direct practice.
- •The imperishable Brahman is the supreme goal described in the Vedas
- •Brahmacharya (celibacy/spiritual discipline) supports the highest spiritual pursuit
- •Sages freed from attachment naturally merge into the Absolute
Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah, yah sa sarveshu bhutesu nashyatsu na vinashyati
Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and transcendent, beyond the unmanifest state that exists at the time of cosmic dissolution. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in the universe is annihilated, that realm is not destroyed. Beyond even the cosmic unmanifest that exists between creation cycles, there is a higher eternal realm that is never destroyed — the transcendental abode of God.
- •There is a realm beyond the cosmic manifest-unmanifest cycle
- •The eternal transcendental realm is never destroyed even in cosmic dissolution
- •This supreme unmanifest is the true ultimate destination
Manyase yadi tac chakyam maya drashtum iti prabho, yogeshvara tato me tvam darshayatmanam avyayam
O master of all mystic powers, if You think it possible for me to behold Your universal form, then please reveal that imperishable self to me.
- •Humility before seeking divine vision
- •Acknowledging the Lord's sovereignty over revelation
- •Requesting the imperishable to be made visible
Tvam aksharam paramam veditavyam tvam asya vishvasya param nidhanam, tvam avyayah shashvata-dharma-gopta sanatanas tvam purusho mato me
You are the supreme imperishable, the ultimate to be known. You are the supreme treasure of this universe. You are the eternal upholder of eternal dharma. I believe You to be the primeval person.
- •The Absolute is the highest object of knowledge
- •God upholds the eternal order of the universe
- •The primordial person underlies all existence
Kasmāch cha te na nameran mahātman garīyase brahmaṇo 'py ādi-kartre, ananta deveśha jagan-nivāsa tvam akṣharaṁ sad-asat tat paraṁ yat
O great soul, why should they not bow to You, who are even greater than Brahma the original creator? O infinite Lord of the gods, refuge of the universe, You are the imperishable, transcending both being and non-being.
- •God is beyond all creation, including Brahma
- •The divine transcends the categories of existence and non-existence
- •Worship is the natural response to the highest reality
Dvav imau purushau loke kshara chaksharা eva cha, ksharah sarvani bhutani kuta-stho 'kshara ucyate
There are two kinds of beings in this world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable; the unchanging soul is called imperishable.
- •Distinction between body and soul
- •Perishable material, imperishable spirit
- •Understanding our dual nature