Word meanings
- śrī-bhagavān uvāca
- the Blessed Lord said
- akṣaram
- indestructible
- brahma
- Brahman
- paramam
- the Supreme
- svabhāvaḥ
- nature
- adhyātmam
- one’s own self
- ucyate
- is called
- bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ
- Actions pertaining to the material personality of living beings, and its development
- visargaḥ
- creation
- karma
- fruitive activities
- sanjñitaḥ
- are called
Translations
The Blessed Lord said, "Brahman is the Imperishable, the Supreme; its essential nature is called Self-knowledge; the offering (to the gods) that causes the existence and manifestation of beings and sustains them is called action."
The Lord Shri Krishna replied: The Supreme Spirit is the Highest Imperishable Self, and Its nature is spiritual consciousness. The worlds have been created and are sustained by an emanation from the Spirit, which is called the Law.
The Blessed Lord said, "The Immutable is the supreme Brahman; selfhood is said to be the entity present in the individual plane. By action is meant the offerings that bring about the origin of existence of things."
श्रीभगवान् बोले -- परम अक्षर ब्रह्म है और जीवका अपना जो होनापन है, उसको अध्यात्म कहते हैं। प्राणियों का उद्भव (सत्ता को प्रकट) करनेवाला जो त्याग है उसको कर्म कहा जाता है।Commentary
Brahman is imperishable, immutable, eternal, selfexistent, selfluminous, unchanging and allpervading. It is the source, root and womb of everything. In It all beings that are manifested live, move and have their very being. Hence? It is Paramam, the Supreme and Akshara. Its essential nature or Svabhava is Adhyatma. Brahmans dwelling in each individual body as the innermost Self (the Pratyagatma) is called Adhyatma. Yajnavalkya (a great sage of the Upanishadic period) said O Gargi Heaven and earth stand upheld in their places.
The Brahmanas call this (Brahman) the Akshara (the imperishable). It is neither red nor white It is not shadow, not darkness, nor air, not ehter, without adhesion, without smell, without eyes, without ears, without speech, without mind, without light, without breath, without a mouth or door, without measures, having nothing within and nothing outside It. It does not consume anything, nor does anyone consume It. Akshara is the Supreme Brahman only. Akshara here does not mean the holy word Om, or the Avyakta (the unmanifested source of all that is in Nature).
There is Laya (absorption) for Om. There is destruction for the unmanifested Nature also. Therefore Brahman is the Akshara, the Imperishable, the Supreme Being. Offering All virtuous work. The sacrificial act which consists of offering cooked rice, cakes, etc., to the gods and which causes the genesis and support of beings is called Karma. The oblations in the sacrifice assume a subtle form and reach the sphere of the sun. Through the sun there is rain, and various sorts of grains, vegetables and fruits crop up.
The living beings (Bhutas) live and develop on account of rice and other foodstuffs. Therefore Yajnas are the cause of the genesis and support of all beings.