Vyāsa (traditional attribution) · Complete work

Chapter 9 — The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Mystery

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Original Sanskrit

ॐश्रीपरमात्मने नमः

श्रीभगवानुवाचइदं तु ते गुह्यतमं प्रवक्ष्याम्यनसूयवे ।ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितं यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥९- १॥

राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ।प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ॥९- २॥

अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा धर्मस्यास्य परन्तप ।अप्राप्य मां निवर्तन्ते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि ॥९- ३॥

मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना ।मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः ॥९- ४॥

न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ।भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः ॥९- ५॥

यथाकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायुः सर्वत्रगो महान् ।तथा सर्वाणि भूतानि मत्स्थानीत्युपधारय ॥९- ६॥

सर्वभूतानि कौन्तेय प्रकृतिं यान्ति मामिकाम् ।कल्पक्षये पुनस्तानि कल्पादौ विसृजाम्यहम् ॥९- ७॥

प्रकृतिं स्वामवष्टभ्य विसृजामि पुनः पुनः ।भूतग्राममिमं कृत्स्नमवशं प्रकृतेर्वशात् ॥९- ८॥

न च मां तानि कर्माणि निबध्नन्ति धनंजय ।उदासीनवदासीनमसक्तं तेषु कर्मसु ॥९- ९॥

मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते सचराचरम् ।हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद्विपरिवर्तते ॥९- १०॥

अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम् ।परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम् ॥९- ११॥

मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः ।राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिताः ॥९- १२॥

महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाश्रिताः ।भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम् ॥९- १३॥

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां यतन्तश्च दृढव्रताः ।नमस्यन्तश्च मां भक्त्या नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ॥९- १४॥

ज्ञानयज्ञेन चाप्यन्ये यजन्तो मामुपासते ।एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन बहुधा विश्वतोमुखम् ॥९- १५॥

अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाहमहमौषधम् ।मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥९- १६॥

पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामहः ।वेद्यं पवित्रमोंकार ऋक्साम यजुरेव च ॥९- १७॥

गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत् ।प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥९- १८॥

तपाम्यहमहं वर्षं निगृह्णाम्युत्सृजामि च ।अमृतं चैव मृत्युश्च सदसच्चाहमर्जुन ॥९- १९॥

त्रैविद्या मां सोमपाः पूतपापायज्ञैरिष्ट्वा स्वर्गतिं प्रार्थयन्ते ।ते पुण्यमासाद्य सुरेन्द्रलोक-मश्नन्ति दिव्यान्दिवि देवभोगान् ॥९- २०॥

ते तं भुक्त्वा स्वर्गलोकं विशालंक्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।एवं त्रयीधर्ममनुप्रपन्नागतागतं कामकामा लभन्ते ॥९- २१॥

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥९- २२॥

येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यजन्ते श्रद्धयान्विताः ।तेऽपि मामेव कौन्तेय यजन्त्यविधिपूर्वकम् ॥९- २३॥

अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च ।न तु मामभिजानन्ति तत्त्वेनातश्च्यवन्ति ते ॥९- २४॥

यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः ।भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ॥९- २५॥

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति ।तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः ॥९- २६॥

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् ।यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥९- २७॥

शुभाशुभफलैरेवं मोक्ष्यसे कर्मबन्धनैः ।संन्यासयोगयुक्तात्मा विमुक्तो मामुपैष्यसि ॥९- २८॥

समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥९- २९॥

अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् ।साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ॥९- ३०॥

क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति ।कौन्तेय प्रति जानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति ॥९- ३१॥

मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः ।स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम् ॥९- ३२॥

किं पुनर्ब्राह्मणाः पुण्या भक्ता राजर्षयस्तथा ।अनित्यमसुखं लोकमिमं प्राप्य भजस्व माम् ॥९- ३३॥

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु ।मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायणः ॥९- ३४॥

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रेश्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे राजविद्याराजगुह्ययोगो नाम नवमोऽध्यायः ॥९॥

Mouseia

Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses for fidelity, modern clarity, philosophical precision, symbolism, structure, and cadence.

Salutation to the Supreme Self

The Blessed Lord said:

But to you, who do not find fault, I shall declare this deepest secret:knowledge together with realization,knowing which you will be freed from evil. ॥९- १॥

This is the sovereign knowledge, the sovereign secret,the supreme purifier,directly knowable, in accord with dharma,easy and joyful to practice, imperishable. ॥९- २॥

Those who have no faith in this dharma,O scorcher of foes,not attaining me, returnto the path of death and transmigration. ॥९- ३॥

This entire universe is pervaded by mein my unmanifest form.All beings abide in me,yet I do not abide in them. ॥९- ४॥

And yet beings do not abide in me—behold my sovereign yoga.My Self sustains all beings and brings them forth,yet does not dwell within them. ॥९- ५॥

As the mighty wind, moving everywhere,abides forever in space,so do all beings abide in me—understand it so. ॥९- ६॥

All beings, O son of Kunti,enter my own Prakriti at the end of a cosmic age;at the beginning of another cosmic age,I send them forth again. ॥९- ७॥

Holding my own Prakriti under control,I send forth, again and again,this entire multitude of beings,helpless under Prakriti’s sway. ॥९- ८॥

Yet these actions do not bind me,O winner of wealth:I sit as one indifferent,unattached to those actions. ॥९- ९॥

Under my supervision, Prakriti brings forthall that moves and does not move.Through this cause, O son of Kunti,the universe revolves. ॥९- १०॥

The deluded disdain mewhen I assume a human body,not knowing my supreme natureas the great Lord of beings. ॥९- ११॥

Their hopes are futile, their actions futile,their knowledge futile; devoid of discernment,they take refuge in the deluding natureof rakshasas and asuras. ॥९- १२॥

But the great-souled, O son of Pritha,taking refuge in divine nature,worship me with undivided minds,knowing me as the imperishable origin of beings. ॥९- १३॥

Ever singing my praise,striving, firm in their vows,bowing to me in devotion,always steadfast, they worship me. ॥९- १४॥

Others, too, sacrificing through the sacrifice of knowledge,worship meas the One, as distinct, and as the manifold,whose face is everywhere. ॥९- १५॥

I am the Vedic rite; I am the sacrifice;I am the offering to the ancestors; I am the healing herb.I am the mantra; I alone am the clarified butter;I am the fire; I am the offering poured into it. ॥९- १६॥

I am the father of this universe,the mother, the sustainer, the grandsire;I am what is to be known, the purifier, the syllable Om,and also the Rig, Sama, and Yajur Vedas. ॥९- १७॥

I am the goal, the bearer, the Lord, the witness,the dwelling, the refuge, the friend;the origin, the dissolution, the foundation,the treasury, the imperishable seed. ॥९- १८॥

I give heat; I withhold the rainand release it.I am immortality and death;I am being and nonbeing, O Arjuna. ॥९- १९॥

Knowers of the three Vedas, drinkers of Soma, purified of sin,worship me with sacrifices and pray for passage to heaven.Attaining the holy realm of the lord of the gods,they enjoy in heaven the divine pleasures of the gods. ॥९- २०॥

Having enjoyed that vast heavenly realm,when their merit is exhausted, they enter the mortal world.Thus, following the dharma of the three Vedas,desiring desires, they attain the cycle of coming and going. ॥९- २१॥

Those who think of me aloneand worship me on every side—for them, ever steadfast,I carry what they lack and preserve what they have. ॥९- २२॥

Even those devoted to other deities,who worship them endowed with faith,they too worship me alone, O son of Kunti,though not according to the true way. ॥९- २३॥

For I alone am the enjoyerand the Lord of all sacrifices.But they do not know me in truth,and so they fall away. ॥९- २४॥

Those vowed to the gods go to the gods;those vowed to the ancestors go to the ancestors.Those who worship spirits go to the spirits;those who sacrifice to me come to me. ॥९- २५॥

Whoever offers me with devotiona leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water—that offering of devotion I acceptfrom one whose self is pure. ॥९- २६॥

Whatever you do, whatever you eat,whatever you offer in sacrifice or give,whatever austerity you undertake, O son of Kunti—do that as an offering to me. ॥९- २७॥

Thus you will be freed from the bonds of actionand from their good and evil fruits.Yourself joined to the yoga of renunciation,liberated, you will come to me. ॥९- २८॥

I am equal toward all beings;none is hateful to me, and none is dear.Yet those who worship me with devotionare in me, and I am also in them. ॥९- २९॥

Even if one of exceedingly evil conductworships me with undivided devotion,he is to be regarded as righteous,for his resolve is rightly directed. ॥९- ३०॥

He swiftly becomes a soul of dharmaand reaches lasting peace.Know with certainty, O son of Kunti:my devotee never perishes. ॥९- ३१॥

For taking complete refuge in me, O son of Pritha,even those born from wombs deemed sinful—women, vaishyas, and shudras—they too attain the supreme goal. ॥९- ३२॥

How much more, then, holy brahminsand devoted royal sages.Having entered this impermanent, joyless world,worship me. ॥९- ३३॥

Let your mind be in me; be my devotee;sacrifice to me; bow to me.Thus joining your self to me,with me as your highest goal, you will come to me alone. ॥९- ३४॥

Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the ninth chapter, entitled “The Yoga of Sovereign Knowledge and the Sovereign Secret.” ॥९॥

Mouseia

Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses.

Homage to the glorious Supreme Self

The Blessed Lord said

To you, who do not find fault, I will now declare this deepest secret:knowledge together with realization, knowing which you will be freed from evil. ॥९- १॥

This is the king of knowledge, the king of secrets, the highest purifier,directly realizable, in accord with dharma, very easy to practice, and imperishable. ॥९- २॥

People who have no faith in this dharma, O Scorcher of Foes,do not reach me but return to the path of death and rebirth. ॥९- ३॥

This whole universe is pervaded by me in my unmanifest form.All beings dwell in me, but I do not dwell in them. ॥९- ४॥

And yet beings do not dwell in me. Behold my sovereign yoga!My Self sustains beings without dwelling in them and brings all beings into existence. ॥९- ५॥

Just as the great wind, moving everywhere, always remains in space,so all beings remain in me. Understand it in this way. ॥९- ६॥

All beings, O son of Kunti, enter my own natureat the end of an eon, and at the beginning of an eon I send them forth again. ॥९- ७॥

Taking command of my own nature, I send forth again and againthis entire multitude of beings, helpless under nature’s control. ॥९- ८॥

But these actions do not bind me, O Dhananjaya.I remain as one indifferent, unattached to those actions. ॥९- ९॥

Under my supervision, nature gives birth to all that moves and does not move.Because of this, O son of Kunti, the universe turns through its cycles. ॥९- १०॥

Fools scorn me when I take on a human body,not knowing my higher nature as the great Lord of beings. ॥९- ११॥

Their hopes are futile, their actions are futile, and their knowledge is futile; they lack discernment.They have taken on the deluding nature of rakshasas and asuras. ॥९- १२॥

But the great souls, O Partha, who have taken on the divine nature,worship me with undivided minds, knowing me as the imperishable source of beings. ॥९- १३॥

Always proclaiming my glory, striving, and firm in their vows,bowing to me with devotion, they worship me in constant union. ॥९- १४॥

Others too, worshiping through the sacrifice of knowledge, worship meas one, as distinct, and in many forms, facing in every direction. ॥९- १५॥

I am the Vedic rite; I am the sacrifice; I am the ancestral offering; I am the healing herb.I am the mantra; I alone am the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am what is offered. ॥९- १६॥

I am the father of this universe, the mother, the sustainer, and the grandfather.I am what is to be known, the purifier, the syllable Om, and also the Rig, Sama, and Yajur Vedas. ॥९- १७॥

I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the dwelling, the refuge, and the friend.I am the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the repository, and the imperishable seed. ॥९- १८॥

I give heat; I withhold the rain and release it.I am immortality and also death; I am being and nonbeing, O Arjuna. ॥९- १९॥

Those who know the three Vedas, drink Soma, and are purified of sin,worship me with sacrifices and seek the way to heaven.Having reached the holy world of Indra, king of the gods,they enjoy in heaven the divine pleasures of the gods. ॥९- २०॥

After enjoying that vast world of heaven,when their merit is exhausted, they enter the mortal world.Thus, following the dharma of the three Vedasand desiring pleasures, they obtain repeated coming and going. ॥९- २१॥

Those people who think of no other and worship me completely—for them, who are always joined to me, I provide what they need and protect what they have. ॥९- २२॥

Even those devotees of other deities who worship them filled with faithare actually worshiping me alone, O son of Kunti, though not in the prescribed way. ॥९- २३॥

For I alone am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices.But they do not know me as I truly am, and therefore they fall away. ॥९- २४॥

Those devoted to the gods go to the gods; those devoted to the ancestors go to the ancestors.Worshipers of spirits go to the spirits, and those who sacrifice to me come to me. ॥९- २५॥

Whoever offers me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water—I accept that devoted offering from one whose self is disciplined. ॥९- २६॥

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give,and whatever austerity you practice, O son of Kunti, do that as an offering to me. ॥९- २७॥

In this way you will be freed from the bonds of action and from their good and bad results.With your self joined to the yoga of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to me. ॥९- २८॥

I am equal toward all beings. No one is hateful or dear to me.But those who worship me with devotion are in me, and I am also in them. ॥९- २९॥

Even if a person of extremely bad conduct worships me with undivided devotion,he must be regarded as righteous, for he has resolved rightly. ॥९- ३०॥

He quickly becomes a person of dharma and attains lasting peace.Know for certain, O son of Kunti: my devotee never perishes. ॥९- ३१॥

For those who take complete refuge in me, O Partha, even if they are of sinful birth—women, Vaishyas, and Shudras—they too attain the highest goal. ॥९- ३२॥

How much more, then, holy Brahmins and devoted royal sages!Having entered this transient and joyless world, worship me. ॥९- ३३॥

Let your mind be on me; be devoted to me; sacrifice to me; bow to me.Having thus joined your self to me and made me your highest goal, you will come to me alone. ॥९- ३४॥

Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the glorious Bhagavad Gita Upanishads, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of yoga,in the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the ninth chapter, entitled “The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and the Royal Secret.” ॥९॥

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