Brahma-Gita: The Song of Brahman

Verse 1 (garuda.1.239.1)

ब्रह्मोवाच । ब्रह्मगीतां प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वा मुच्यते भवान् । अहंब्रह्मास्मि वाक्योत्थज्ञानान्मोक्षो भवेन्नणाम्

brahmovāca brahmagītāṁ pravakṣyāmi yajjñātvā mucyate bhavān ahaṁbrahmāsmi vākyotthajñānānmokṣo bhavennaṇām

Brahma said: I shall declare the Brahma-gita, knowing which you shall be liberated. From the knowledge arising from the sentence 'Aham Brahmasmi' (I am Brahman), liberation comes to men.

Verse 2 (garuda.1.239.2)

वाक्यज्ञानं भवेज्ज्ञानादहंब्रह्म पदार्थयोः । पदद्वयार्थौ द्विविधौ वाच्यौ लक्ष्यौ स्मतौ बुधैः

vākyajñānaṁ bhavejjñānādahaṁbrahma padārthayoḥ padadvayārthau dvividhau vācyau lakṣyau smatau budhaiḥ

Sentence-knowledge arises from the knowledge of the meanings of the two words 'aham' and 'brahma'; the meanings of these two words are remembered by the wise as twofold — the directly-stated and the indicated.

Verse 3 (garuda.1.239.3)

वाक्यवाच्यश्च शबलो लक्ष्यः शुद्वः प्रकीर्तितः । प्राणपिण्डात्मकोः यनचेतसामतुलं न यतु

vākyavācyaśca śabalo lakṣyaḥ śudvaḥ prakīrtitaḥ prāṇapiṇḍātmakoḥ yanacetasāmatulaṁ na yatu

That directly denoted by the sentence is the conditioned self; the indicated is declared to be the pure Self. That which pertains to the vital-breath-and-body complex is beyond comparison, even for the minds of the wise.

Verse 4 (garuda.1.239.4)

तथा वेदैरवाग्रूपमहंशब्देन सेव्यते । प्रत्यग्रूनं त्वद्वितीयमहंशब्देन मन्यते

tathā vedairavāgrūpamahaṁśabdena sevyate pratyagrūnaṁ tvadvitīyamahaṁśabdena manyate

Thus, by the Vedas, the ineffable form is approached through the word 'I'; the inward, non-dual reality is understood through the word 'I.'

Verse 5 (garuda.1.239.5)

अव्ययानन्दचैतन्यं परोक्षसहितं परम् । प्राणपिण्डात्मको योथ स द्वितीयविभागकः

avyayānandacaitanyaṁ parokṣasahitaṁ param prāṇapiṇḍātmako yotha sa dvitīyavibhāgakaḥ

The imperishable consciousness-bliss, taken together with what is known indirectly, is the supreme; and that which pertains to the vital-breath-and-body complex is the second, lower division.

Verse 6 (garuda.1.239.6)

पारोक्ष्येप्रेक्षणो ह्यत्र भागो लक्ष्येत वाहमा । तथा ब्रह्मपदेनैव प्राणपिण्डात्मकारणाम्

pārokṣyeprekṣaṇo hyatra bhāgo lakṣyeta vāhamā tathā brahmapadenaiva prāṇapiṇḍātmakāraṇām

Here, the aspect seen only indirectly is indicated by the word 'I'; and likewise, by the word 'Brahman,' the cause of the vital-breath-and-body complex is indicated.

Verse 7 (garuda.1.239.7)

निष्ठा परोक्षता चेति परित्यागेन वक्ष्यते । अद्वयानन्दचैतन्यं प्रत्यग्ब्रह्मपदेन तु

niṣṭhā parokṣatā ceti parityāgena vakṣyate advayānandacaitanyaṁ pratyagbrahmapadena tu

'Fixed abiding' and 'indirectness' — through the elimination of these non-essential parts, the non-dual consciousness-bliss is expressed by the word 'Pratyak-Brahman.'

Verse 8 (garuda.1.239.8)

अद्वयानन्दचैतन्यं लक्षयित्वा स्थितस्य च । ब्रह्माहमस्म्यहं ब्रह्म चाहंब्रह्मपदार्थयोः

advayānandacaitanyaṁ lakṣayitvā sthitasya ca brahmāhamasmyahaṁ brahma cāhaṁbrahmapadārthayoḥ

Having indicated the non-dual consciousness-bliss, and for one established in that realization — 'I am Brahman, Brahman is I' — such is the meaning of the two words 'aham' and 'brahma.'

Verse 9 (garuda.1.239.9)

अहंब्रह्मास्मिवाक्याच्च स्वनुभूतिफलार्थकम् । ऐक्यज्ञानं तु हि भवेद्वेदान्ताद्दूरतो ध्रुवम्

ahaṁbrahmāsmivākyācca svanubhūtiphalārthakam aikyajñānaṁ tu hi bhavedvedāntāddūrato dhruvam

From the sentence 'Aham Brahmasmi,' whose fruit is one's own direct experience, the knowledge of oneness surely arises — far beyond mere Vedanta as words, established only in realization.

Verse 10 (garuda.1.239.10)

ज्ञानादज्ञानकार्यस्य निवृत्त्या मुक्तिरैक्यतः

jñānādajñānakāryasya nivṛttyā muktiraikyataḥ

Through the cessation, by knowledge, of the effects of ignorance, liberation comes through that very oneness.

Verse 11 (garuda.1.239.11)

श्रीभगवानुवाच । सन्नपि ब्रह्म तस्मात्खं मरुत्खाच्च ततोऽनलः

śrībhagavānuvāca sannapi brahma tasmātkhaṁ marutkhācca tato'nalaḥ

The Blessed Lord said: From Brahman, though itself existent without change, came space; from space came wind, and from that, fire.

Verse 12 (garuda.1.239.12)

अग्नेरापस्ततः पृथ्वी प्रपञ्चाकृतिसूतिका । ततः सप्तदशं लिङ्गं पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाणि च

agnerāpastataḥ pṛthvī prapañcākṛtisūtikā tataḥ saptadaśaṁ liṅgaṁ pañcakarmendriyāṇi ca

From fire came water; then earth, the birth-giver of the form of the manifest world. Thence came the seventeenfold subtle body — the five organs of action —

Verse 13 (garuda.1.239.13)

वाक्पाणिपादं पायुश्चाप्युपस्थमथ धीन्द्रियम् । श्रोत्रं त्वक्चक्षुषी जिह्वा घ्राणं स्यात्पञ्च वायवः

vākpāṇipādaṁ pāyuścāpyupasthamatha dhīndriyam śrotraṁ tvakcakṣuṣī jihvā ghrāṇaṁ syātpañca vāyavaḥ

— speech, hands, feet, the anus, and the genitals; then the organs of perception — ear, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose — and the five vital airs —

Verse 14 (garuda.1.239.14)

प्राणोपानः समानश्च व्यानस्तूदान एव च । मनोन्तः करणं धीश्च स्यान्मनः संशयात्मकम्

prāṇopānaḥ samānaśca vyānastūdāna eva ca manontaḥ karaṇaṁ dhīśca syānmanaḥ saṁśayātmakam

— Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana, and Udana; and the mind and intellect as the inner faculty — the mind being of the nature of doubt,

Verse 15 (garuda.1.239.15)

बुद्धिर्निश्चयरूपा तु एतत्सूक्ष्मस्वरूपकम् । हिरण्यगर्भमात्मीयसूत्रं तत्कार्यालिङ्गकम्

buddhirniścayarūpā tu etatsūkṣmasvarūpakam hiraṇyagarbhamātmīyasūtraṁ tatkāryāliṅgakam

— while the intellect is of the nature of determination. This is the subtle body's own form — Hiranyagarbha's own thread, of which each individual's subtle body is the corresponding effect.

Verse 16 (garuda.1.239.16)

पञ्चीकृतानि भूतानि ह्यपञ्चीकृतभूततः । पञ्चीकृतेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो ब्रह्माण्डं समजायत

pañcīkṛtāni bhūtāni hyapañcīkṛtabhūtataḥ pañcīkṛtebhyo bhūtebhyo brahmāṇḍaṁ samajāyata

The quintuplicated, grossified elements arose from the non-quintuplicated, subtle elements; from the quintuplicated elements the cosmic egg came into being.

Verse 17 (garuda.1.239.17)

लोकप्रसिद्धं स्थूलाख्यं शरीरं चरणादिमत् । पञ्चीकृतानि भूतानि तत्कार्यं तत्स्थमेव च

lokaprasiddhaṁ sthūlākhyaṁ śarīraṁ caraṇādimat pañcīkṛtāni bhūtāni tatkāryaṁ tatsthameva ca

The body known in the world as the 'gross' body, possessing feet and the rest, arises from this; the quintuplicated elements and their effect abide within it.

Verse 18 (garuda.1.239.18)

सर्वं शरीरजातं च प्राणिनां स्थूलमीरितम् । त्रिधाह्रि परमात्मस्थं शरीरं प्रोच्यते बुधैः

sarvaṁ śarīrajātaṁ ca prāṇināṁ sthūlamīritam tridhāhri paramātmasthaṁ śarīraṁ procyate budhaiḥ

All that is born as body among living beings is declared to be the 'gross'; the wise declare the body, abiding ultimately in the Supreme Self, to be threefold — gross, subtle, and causal.

Verse 19 (garuda.1.239.19)

देहद्वयाभिगामी च त्वमथो जीव एकतः । स्वभेदवाक्याद्ब्रह्मैव प्रविष्टं देहयोर्द्वयोः

dehadvayābhigāmī ca tvamatho jīva ekataḥ svabhedavākyādbrahmaiva praviṣṭaṁ dehayordvayoḥ

You are the one who passes through these two bodies; and from another perspective, it is the jiva that transmigrates. By the very statement of its own differentiation, it is Brahman alone that has entered both bodies.

Verse 20 (garuda.1.239.20)

जलार्क्ववद्वदरवज्जीवः प्राणादिधारणः । जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तीनां साक्षी जीवः स च स्मृतः

jalārkvavadvadaravajjīvaḥ prāṇādidhāraṇaḥ jāgratsvapnasuṣuptīnāṁ sākṣī jīvaḥ sa ca smṛtaḥ

Like the sun reflected in water, or like a seed within a fruit, the jiva sustains the vital breaths and the rest; that jiva is remembered as the witness of waking, dream, and deep sleep.

Verse 21 (garuda.1.239.21)

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्याख्यैर्व्यातिरिक्तश्च निर्गुणः । निर्गातावयवोसंगो नित्यशुद्धस्वभावकः

jāgratsvapnasuṣuptyākhyairvyātiriktaśca nirguṇaḥ nirgātāvayavosaṁgo nityaśuddhasvabhāvakaḥ

Yet in its true nature, it is distinct from what is called waking, dream, and deep sleep, without qualities, without parts, unattached, of an eternally pure nature.

Verse 22 (garuda.1.239.22)

परमात्मैव यज्जाग्रत्स्वप्नाद्यैर्यस्त्रिधा मतः । अन्तः करणराशेश्चैवान्तः करणःस्थितः

paramātmaiva yajjāgratsvapnādyairyastridhā mataḥ antaḥ karaṇarāśeścaivāntaḥ karaṇaḥsthitaḥ

It is the Supreme Self alone that is held to be threefold through waking and the rest; abiding within the mass of the inner faculty, it appears as though it were the inner faculty itself.

Verse 23 (garuda.1.239.23)

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तीश्च पश्यतो विकृतिः सदा । फलक्रियाकारकयोर्जाग्रदादीन्वदाम्यहम्

jāgratsvapnasuṣuptīśca paśyato vikṛtiḥ sadā phalakriyākārakayorjāgradādīnvadāmyaham

Waking, dream, and deep sleep are ever mere modifications for the seer. I shall speak of waking and the other states in relation to the fruit, the action, and the agent.

Verse 24 (garuda.1.239.24)

इन्द्रियैरथ विज्ञानं जाग्रत्स्थानमुदीरितम् । जाग्रत्संस्कारसंभूतप्रत्ययो विषयार्थिनः

indriyairatha vijñānaṁ jāgratsthānamudīritam jāgratsaṁskārasaṁbhūtapratyayo viṣayārthinaḥ

Cognition through the senses is declared to be the waking state; the impression born from waking-state impressions is [dream] for one desiring sense-objects.

Verse 25 (garuda.1.239.25)

स्वप्नं सुषुप्तिः करणोपसंघाते धियः (प) स्थित (ति) । ब्रह्मणः कारणावस्थायां स्थितिः कालकात्मना

svapnaṁ suṣuptiḥ karaṇopasaṁghāte dhiyaḥ (pa) sthita (ti) brahmaṇaḥ kāraṇāvasthāyāṁ sthitiḥ kālakātmanā

This is dream; the resting of the intellect in the mere aggregation of the subtle organs is deep sleep — this is the abiding in the causal state of Brahman, through the medium of time.

Verse 26 (garuda.1.239.26)

क्रमतोक्रमतो जीवो जाग्रदादि स पश्यति । समाध्यारंभकाले तु पूर्वमेवावधारयेत्

kramatokramato jīvo jāgradādi sa paśyati samādhyāraṁbhakāle tu pūrvamevāvadhārayet

In due order, or out of order, the jiva perceives the waking state and the others; but at the beginning of samadhi, these should first be clearly ascertained.

Verse 27 (garuda.1.239.27)

मुमुक्षावथ संजाते अन्तः करणकेवले । विलापयेत्क्षेत्रजातं तत्क्षेत्रं परिशेषयेत्

mumukṣāvatha saṁjāte antaḥ karaṇakevale vilāpayetkṣetrajātaṁ tatkṣetraṁ pariśeṣayet

When the desire for liberation has arisen, one should dissolve, within the inner faculty alone, whatever has arisen from the field, leaving only the field itself as the residue for analysis.

Verse 28 (garuda.1.239.28)

पञ्चीकृतेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो भाण्डादि व्यतिरिक्तकम् । यथा मृदो घटो भिन्नो नास्ति तत्कार्यतस्तथा

pañcīkṛtebhyo bhūtebhyo bhāṇḍādi vyatiriktakam yathā mṛdo ghaṭo bhinno nāsti tatkāryatastathā

Just as a clay pot is not truly a distinct thing from clay, so too pots and the like, though seeming distinct from the quintuplicated elements, are merely their effects, not separate from them.

Verse 29 (garuda.1.239.29)

पञ्चीकृतानि भूतानि अपञ्चीकृतभूततः । शंसंति व्यतिरेकेण शिष्टाः सूक्ष्मशरीरकम्

pañcīkṛtāni bhūtāni apañcīkṛtabhūtataḥ śaṁsaṁti vyatirekeṇa śiṣṭāḥ sūkṣmaśarīrakam

The learned declare, by the method of exclusion, that the quintuplicated elements arise from the non-quintuplicated elements, just as the subtle body is distinct from the gross.

Verse 30 (garuda.1.239.30)

अपञ्चीकृतभूतेभ्यो न लिङ्गं व्यतिरिक्तकम् । पृथ्व्याधारं विना नास्ति विना नास्ति च तेन सा

apañcīkṛtabhūtebhyo na liṅgaṁ vyatiriktakam pṛthvyādhāraṁ vinā nāsti vinā nāsti ca tena sā

The subtle body is not distinct from the non-quintuplicated elements; just as water cannot exist without the support of earth, nor earth without water.

Verse 31 (garuda.1.239.31)

तेजश्च वायुना नास्ति वायुः खेन विना न हि । यद्ब्रह्मणा च खं नास्ति शुद्ध ब्रह्म विना च खम्

tejaśca vāyunā nāsti vāyuḥ khena vinā na hi yadbrahmaṇā ca khaṁ nāsti śuddha brahma vinā ca kham

Fire cannot exist without air; air cannot exist without space; space cannot exist without Brahman; nor does pure Brahman exist without space.

Verse 32 (garuda.1.239.32)

शुद्धभावस्तदा जाग्रत्स्वप्नादीनामसंभवः । जीवत्ववर्जितः प्राप्तात्मचैतन्यानुरूपतः

śuddhabhāvastadā jāgratsvapnādīnāmasaṁbhavaḥ jīvatvavarjitaḥ prāptātmacaitanyānurūpataḥ

Then, in the state of pure being, there is no arising of waking, dream, and the rest; freed from the condition of being a jiva, one becomes conformed to the very nature of the Self's consciousness.

Verse 33 (garuda.1.239.33)

नित्यं शुद्धं बुद्धमुक्तं सत्यं ब्रह्माद्वितीयकम् । तत्त्वंपदान्तौ शिष्टौ च तत्कारो ब्रह्मवाचकः

nityaṁ śuddhaṁ buddhamuktaṁ satyaṁ brahmādvitīyakam tattvaṁpadāntau śiṣṭau ca tatkāro brahmavācakaḥ

The eternal, pure, awakened, free, true, non-dual Brahman — in the two words 'tat' and 'tvam,' the remaining 'tat' element denotes Brahman.

Verse 34 (garuda.1.239.34)

उकारश्च अकारश्च मकारोयमृगद्वयः । ब्रह्माहमस्म्यहं ब्रह्मज्ञानमज्ञानवर्धनम्

ukāraśca akāraśca makāroyamṛgadvayaḥ brahmāhamasmyahaṁ brahmajñānamajñānavardhanam

The letters U, A, and M — through these, [the syllable Om declares:] 'I am Brahman, Brahman is I' — this knowledge checks the growth of ignorance.

Verse 35 (garuda.1.239.35)

अयमात्मा परं ज्योतिश्चिन्नामानन्दरूपकः । सत्यं ज्ञानमनतं हि त्वमसीति श्रुतीरितम्

ayamātmā paraṁ jyotiścinnāmānandarūpakaḥ satyaṁ jñānamanataṁ hi tvamasīti śrutīritam

This Self is the supreme light, named consciousness, of the form of bliss; 'Truth, knowledge, infinite' and 'Thou art That' — thus declared by the Shruti.

Verse 36 (garuda.1.239.36)

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि निर्लेपमहं ब्रह्मास्मि सर्वगम् । योसावादित्यपुरुषसोसावहमनादिमत् । गीतासारोर्ऽजुनायोक्तो येन ब्रह्मणि वै लयः

ahaṁ brahmāsmi nirlepamahaṁ brahmāsmi sarvagam yosāvādityapuruṣasosāvahamanādimat gītāsāror'junāyokto yena brahmaṇi vai layaḥ

'I am Brahman, stainless; I am Brahman, all-pervading. That Person within the sun — that same, without beginning, am I.' Thus was the essence of the Gita spoken to Arjuna, by which one merges into Brahman.