Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, Verse 13

Chapter 8 – Akshara Brahma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् ।
यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥

Transliteration

omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran .
yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ॥

Meaning

Whoever departs, leaving the body, uttering the one syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me, attains the supreme goal.

Word meanings

ओम् – Om
इति – thus
एकाक्षरम् – the one syllable
ब्रह्म – Brahman
व्याहरन् – uttering
माम् – Me
अनुस्मरन् – remembering continually
यः – who
प्रयाति – departs
त्यजन् – relinquishing
देहम् – the body
सः – he
याति – attains
परमाम् गतिम् – the supreme goal

Anvaya (word order)

यः ‘ओम्’ इति एकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन् माम् अनुस्मरन् देहं त्यजन् प्रयाति, सः परमां गतिं याति ।

Explanation

The Lord now gives a concrete method for the final hour. "Uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering Me, one who departs, leaving the body, attains the highest goal." After the instruction on the yogic practice in 8.12, in which the senses are gathered and the breath fixed, this verse gives the sound that accompanies it: Om, the ekakshara, the one-syllable Brahman.

Om is the most sacred sound in the Indian tradition. It is composed of three sounds, a, u and m, and a silence that follows. The Upanishads take these as representing waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and the silence as the fourth, turiya, beyond them. To repeat Om with understanding is therefore to call to mind the whole of existence and its foundation. The Lord says here that it is not only a symbol of Brahman; it is Brahman as sound, brahma-ekakshara.

Shankara explains that the Om is a support, an alambana, by which the mind is brought to the Lord; the person who recites it and remembers the Lord, while giving up the body, goes to the supreme state, which is also reached by the knowledge that Om denotes. Ramanuja understands Om as the name denoting the Lord, whose remembrance at death takes the devotee to the highest goal. Madhva teaches that Om is the name of Vishnu, and that to chant and remember Him gives the highest end.

Notice the pairing "vyaharan mam anusmaran", uttering and remembering. Sound and thought are joined: if only the sound is produced, the mind may be elsewhere; if only a thought is held, it may be vague. The sound gives the mind a handle, and the thought gives the sound its depth. This is why many traditions recommend japa, repeated recitation, in which voice, breath and mind move together.

Practically, this means that a person can begin today to prepare for the end by chanting Om daily with attention, perhaps for a few minutes at dawn. When the habit has formed, the sound will be ready when needed, as an old friend. It will also bring calm in smaller crises. One of the happiest effects of the practice is that the mind, tired from scattered thoughts, finds a place to rest.

Compare 7.8, where the Lord says He is the syllable Om in the Vedas, 9.17, where He is the sacred syllable, 10.25 where He is the single syllable among utterances, and 17.24 which describes the use of Om in sacred acts. The next verses, 8.14 onward, speak of the remembrance that is easily attained by the constant devotee.

Context

Verse 8.11 promised the imperishable goal, 8.12 gave the yogic process, and here it is completed with the chanting of Om. In the next verse Krishna gives the easy path of constant remembrance.

Life lesson

Let the regular chanting of a sacred name or mantra become the support of your life. When the mind is tired or anxious that same name gives steadiness, and for the end it is the greatest wealth.

Key terms

ओंकार (प्रणव): the one-syllable sacred sound denoting the Absolute
एकाक्षर ब्रह्म: Om as the name and symbol of Brahman
परमा गति: the supreme destination, liberation
व्याहरन्: uttering, chanting