Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12, Verse 3

Chapter 12 – Bhakti Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते ।
सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यञ्च कूटस्थमचलन्ध्रुवम् ॥

Transliteration

ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate .
sarvatragamacintyañca kūṭasthamacalandhruvam ॥

Meaning

But those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the unthinkable, the unchanging, the immovable and the eternal,

Word meanings

ये तु – but those who
अक्षरम् – the imperishable
अनिर्देश्यम् – indefinable
अव्यक्तम् – unmanifest
पर्युपासते – worship
सर्वत्रगम् – all-pervading
अचिन्त्यम् च – and unthinkable
कूटस्थम् – unchanging as an anvil
अचलम् – immovable
ध्रुवम् – fixed, eternal

Anvaya (word order)

ये तु अक्षरम् अनिर्देश्यम् अव्यक्तं सर्वत्रगम् अचिन्त्यं कूटस्थम् अचलं ध्रुवं (च) पर्युपासते —

Explanation

After honouring the devotees of the personal Lord, Krishna turns to the other group, with respect. "But those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the unthinkable, the unchanging, the immovable and the constant", and the verse continues in 12.4: "restraining all the senses, even-minded everywhere, rejoicing in the welfare of all beings, they also come to Me alone." These two verses are one sentence, and the great list of epithets presents the formless Absolute.

Every word here is a clue. Aksharam: it does not perish. Anirdeshyam: it cannot be pointed out or defined, since any description limits. Avyaktam: it is not perceived by the senses. Sarvatra-gam: it pervades everything. Acintyam: it exceeds the reach of thought. Kuta-stham: it stands unchanged like an anvil, while everything else is hammered into new forms. Achalam: it does not move. Dhruvam: it is fixed and enduring. This is the Brahman of the Upanishads, reached by discrimination and renunciation.

The Lord does not reject these seekers. Verse 12.4 says that they, too, reach Him, and the practical qualities required are noble: control of the senses, equal vision and delight in the good of all. But verse 12.5 will note the particular difficulty of this road for embodied beings. In other words, the path is open and respected; it is only more demanding.

Shankara, in his commentary, treats these verses as describing the knowers of the Self who worship Brahman without attributes; he holds that these are the sannyasins who realise their identity with the Lord, and that the final goal for them is the supreme Brahman. Ramanuja interprets the passage as referring to those who contemplate the pure individual soul, the akshara, which is the inner self and a means toward realising the Lord; he sees this as a lesser path because it takes a longer way to reach Him. Madhva interprets that those who meditate on the Lord's formless nature with proper knowledge also reach Him, though without full devotion the path is harder.

For ordinary readers, the verse is an invitation to appreciate that spiritual temperament differs. A person who feels moved by an image or a song and a person who feels moved by quiet awareness of boundless being are both on the path. We do not need to ridicule one in order to support the other. What matters is the sincerity of effort and the result, which is expressed in conduct: steady senses, equal mind, and kindness to all beings.

Compare this teaching with 7.24 and 7.25, on the unmanifest Lord who is not seen by the dull, with 8.20 on the eternal beyond the unmanifest, and with 13.12 to 13.17 on the Brahman beyond all description. The next two verses, 12.4 and 12.5, finish the thought.

Context

Verse 12.2 called the saguna devotees yuktatama. From 12.3 the description of nirguna worshippers begins and the sentence ends in 12.4; then 12.5 tells the difficulty of this path.

Life lesson

What is beyond words and mind cannot be grasped by argument alone. So give a place in practice to experience, silence and faith, not only to thought.

Key terms

अनिर्देश्य: that which cannot be pointed out in words
सर्वत्रग: present everywhere
कूटस्थ: unchanging like an anvil on which all changes happen
अचिन्त्य: beyond the reach of thought