Krishna distinguishes his lower (eightfold) prakriti from his higher (jiva). All beings are born of these two. Among thousands, perhaps one strives for perfection; and among those, perhaps one truly knows him.
श्रीभगवानुवाच । मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः । असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | mayy-āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ | asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tac-chṛṇu ||
The Blessed Lord said: With mind attached to me, O Partha, practising yoga and taking refuge in me — hear how you shall know me entirely, without doubt.
ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः । यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते ॥
jñānaṃ te’haṃ sa-vijñānam-idaṃ vakṣyāmy-aśeṣataḥ | yaj-jñātvā neha bhūyo’nyaj-jñātavyam-avaśiṣyate ||
I shall declare to you in full this knowledge together with its realisation, knowing which nothing else here remains to be known.
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये । यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥
manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścid-yatati siddhaye | yatatām-api siddhānāṃ kaścin-māṃ vetti tattvataḥ ||
Among thousands of men, one perhaps strives for perfection; among those who strive and succeed, one perhaps knows me in truth.
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च । अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ॥
bhūmir-āpo’nalo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhir-eva ca | ahaṅkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtir-aṣṭadhā ||
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego — these are my eightfold prakriti.
अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम् । जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत् ॥
apareyam-itas-tv-anyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parām | jīva-bhūtāṃ mahā-bāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat ||
This is my lower nature. Know my other higher nature, O mighty-armed — the jiva — by which this universe is sustained.
एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय । अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ॥
etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇīty-upadhāraya | ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas-tathā ||
Understand that all beings have these two as their womb. I am the origin and the dissolution of this whole world.
मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय । मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥
mattaḥ paratraraṃ nānyat kiñcid-asti dhanañjaya | mayi sarvam-idaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva ||
There is nothing higher than me, O Dhananjaya. All this is strung on me as gems on a thread.
रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः । प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु ॥
raso’ham-apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ | praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu ||
I am the taste in water, O son of Kunti; I am the light in the moon and sun; I am the syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in ether, the manhood in men.
पुण्यो गन्धः पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ । जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु ॥
puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ ca tejaś-cāsmi vibhāvasau | jīvanaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu tapaś-cāsmi tapasviṣu ||
I am the sweet fragrance in the earth and the brilliance in fire; I am the life in all beings and the austerity in ascetics.
बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम् । बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम् ॥
bījaṃ māṃ sarva-bhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam | buddhir-buddhimatām-asmi tejas-tejasvinām-aham ||
Know me, O Partha, as the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the brilliance of the brilliant.
बलं बलवतां चाहं कामरागविवर्जितम् । धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि भरतर्षभ ॥
balaṃ balavatāṃ cāhaṃ kāma-rāga-vivarjitam | dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo’smi bharatarṣabha ||
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of desire and passion; in beings I am desire that is not opposed to dharma, O bull of the Bharatas.
ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये । मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ॥
ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās-tāmasāś-ca ye | matta eveti tān viddhi na tv-ahaṃ teṣu te mayi ||
Whatever states of being there are — sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic — know them all to be from me. Yet I am not in them; they are in me.
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत् । मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम् ॥
tribhir-guṇa-mayair-bhāvair-ebhiḥ sarvam-idaṃ jagat | mohitaṃ nābhijānāti mām-ebhyaḥ param-avyayam ||
Deluded by these three modes of nature, this whole world does not know me, who am beyond them and immutable.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया । मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥
daivī hy-eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā | mām-eva ye prapadyante māyām-etāṃ taranti te ||
This divine maya of mine, composed of the modes, is hard to overcome. But those who take refuge in me alone — they cross over this maya.
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः । माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ॥
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ | māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṃ bhāvam-āśritāḥ ||
The evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men, whose knowledge is stolen by maya and who have taken refuge in demonic nature — these do not turn to me.
चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन । आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ॥
catur-vidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ su-kṛtino’rjuna | ārto jijñāsur-arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha ||
Four kinds of righteous people worship me, O Arjuna — the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise, O bull of the Bharatas.
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते । प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः ॥
teṣāṃ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir-viśiṣyate | priyo hi jñānino’tyartham-ahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ ||
Of these, the wise one — ever steadfast, of single devotion — excels. I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and he is dear to me.
उदाराः सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् । आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv-ātmaiva me matam | āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām-evānuttamāṃ gatim ||
All these are noble, but the wise one I hold to be my very Self. United in spirit, he is established in me as the highest goal.
बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते । वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः ॥
bahūnāṃ janmanām-ante jñānavān-māṃ prapadyate | vāsudevaḥ sarvam-iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ ||
At the end of many births, the wise one takes refuge in me, realising "Vasudeva is all." Such a great soul is very rare.
कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः । तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया ॥
kāmais-tais-tair-hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante’nya-devatāḥ | taṃ taṃ niyamam-āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā ||
Those whose knowledge is robbed by various desires take refuge in other gods, following this or that rule, constrained by their own nature.
यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति । तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥
yo yo yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum-icchati | tasya tasyācalāṃ śraddhāṃ tām-eva vidadhāmy-aham ||
Whatever form any devotee wishes to worship with faith, I make that very faith of his unwavering.
स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते । लभते च ततः कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान् ॥
sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas-tasyārādhanam-īhate | labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān ||
Endowed with that faith, he engages in worship of that form and from it obtains his desires — though they are actually granted by me alone.
अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् । देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥
antavat tu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tad-bhavaty-alpa-medhasām | devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām-api ||
But the fruit gained by these of little understanding is finite. Worshippers of the gods go to the gods; my devotees come to me.
अव्यक्तं व्यक्तिमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः । परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम् ॥
avyaktaṃ vyaktim-āpannaṃ manyante mām-abuddhayaḥ | paraṃ bhāvam-ajānanto mamāvyayam-anuttamam ||
The unwise think I — the unmanifest — have become manifest, not knowing my supreme, imperishable, unsurpassed state.
नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः । मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥
nāhaṃ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ | mūḍho’yaṃ nābhijānāti loko mām-ajam-avyayam ||
I am not manifest to all, veiled by my yoga-maya. The deluded world does not recognise me — unborn and imperishable.
वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन । भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥
vedāhaṃ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna | bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana ||
I know the beings of the past, the present, and the future, O Arjuna; but me, no one knows.
इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत । सर्वभूतानि सम्मोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप ॥
icchā-dveṣa-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhārata | sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṃ sarge yānti paran-tapa ||
By the delusion of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Bharata, all beings are bewildered at birth, O scorcher of foes.
येषां त्वन्तगतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम् । ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः ॥
yeṣāṃ tv-antagataṃ pāpaṃ janānāṃ puṇya-karmaṇām | te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṃ dṛḍha-vratāḥ ||
But those of righteous deeds whose sin has come to an end — they, freed from the delusion of opposites, worship me firm in their vows.
जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाश्रित्य यतन्ति ये । ते ब्रह्म तद्विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं कर्म चाखिलम् ॥
jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya mām-āśritya yatanti ye | te brahma tad-viduḥ kṛtsnam-adhyātmaṃ karma cākhilam ||
Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in me — they know Brahman in full, the Self, and all action.
साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः । प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः ॥
sādhi-bhūtādhi-daivaṃ māṃ sādhi-yajñaṃ ca ye viduḥ | prayāṇa-kāle’pi ca māṃ te vidur-yukta-cetasaḥ ||
Those who know me together with the adhibhuta, adhidaiva, and adhiyajna — they know me even at the hour of departure, their minds steadfast.