BG 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person

BG 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person

1

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham

aśvatthaḿ prāhur avyayam

chandāḿsi yasya parṇāni

yas taḿ veda sa veda-vit

TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is said that there is an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.

2

adhaś cordhvaḿ prasṛtās tasya śākhā

guṇa-pravṛddhā viṣaya-pravālāḥ

adhaś ca mūlāny anusantatāni

karmānubandhīni manuṣya-loke

TRANSLATION
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.

3-4

na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto

na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā

aśvattham enaḿ su-virūḍha-mūlam asańga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena

chittvā tataḥ padaḿ tat parimārgitavyaḿ

yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ

tam eva cādyaḿ puruṣaḿ prapadye

yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī

TRANSLATION
The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that place from which, having gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial.

5

nirmāna-mohā jita-sańga-doṣā

adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ

dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saḿjñair

gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaḿ tat

TRANSLATION
Those who are free from false prestige, illusion and false association, who understand the eternal, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to that eternal kingdom.

6

na tad bhāsayate sūryo

na śaśāńko na pāvakaḥ

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāma paramaḿ mama

TRANSLATION
That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.

7

mamaivāḿśo jīva-loke

jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi

prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

TRANSLATION
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

8

śarīraḿ yad avāpnoti

yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ

gṛhītvaitāni saḿyāti

vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt

TRANSLATION
The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.

9

śrotraḿ cakṣuḥ sparśanaḿ ca

rasanaḿ ghrāṇam eva ca

adhiṣṭhāya manaś cāyaḿ

viṣayān upasevate

TRANSLATION
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, eye, tongue, nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.

10

utkrāmantaḿ sthitaḿ vāpi

bhuñjānaḿ vā guṇānvitam

vimūḍhā nānupaśyanti

paśyanti jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ

TRANSLATION
The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.

11

yatanto yoginaś cainaḿ

paśyanty ātmany avasthitam

yatanto 'py akṛtātmāno

nainaḿ paśyanty acetasaḥ

TRANSLATION
The endeavoring transcendentalists, who are situated in self- realization, can see all this clearly. But those whose minds are not developed and who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try to.

12

yad āditya-gataḿ tejo

jagad bhāsayate 'khilam

yac candramasi yac cāgnau

tat tejo viddhi māmakam

TRANSLATION
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.

13

gām āviśya ca bhūtāni

dhārayāmy aham ojasā

puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ

somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ

TRANSLATION
I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.

14

ahaḿ vaiśvānaro bhūtvā

prāṇināḿ deham āśritaḥ

prāṇāpāna-samāyuktaḥ

pacāmy annaḿ catur-vidham

TRANSLATION
I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of foodstuff.

15

sarvasya cāhaḿ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo

mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaḿ ca

vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

TRANSLATION
I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

16

dvāv imau puruṣau loke

kṣaraś cākṣara eva ca

kṣaraḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni

kūṭa-stho 'kṣara ucyate

TRANSLATION
There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every living entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every living entity is called infallible.

17

uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ

paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ

yo loka-trayam āviśya

bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ

TRANSLATION
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Supreme Soul, the imperishable Lord Himself, who has entered the three worlds and is maintaining them.

18

yasmāt kṣaram atīto 'ham

akṣarād api cottamaḥ

ato 'smi loke vede ca

prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ

TRANSLATION
Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.

19

yo mām evam asammūḍho

jānāti puruṣottamam

sa sarva-vid bhajati māḿ

sarva-bhāvena bhārata

TRANSLATION
Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is the knower of everything. He therefore engages himself in full devotional service to Me, O son of Bharata.

20

iti guhyatamaḿ śāstram

idam uktaḿ mayānagha

etad buddhvā buddhimān syāt

kṛta-kṛtyaś ca bhārata

TRANSLATION
This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.