8.11 One thing under three names Krishna speaks
यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः
यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये
yad akṣharaṁ veda-vido vadanti
viśhanti yad yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ
yad ichchhanto brahmacharyaṁ charanti
tat te padaṁ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣhye
What those who know the Vedas call imperishable, what those free of craving enter, what the seekers of the holy life desire — that path I will declare to you briefly.
Explanation
Three traditions, wanting the same thing under three descriptions.
Those who know the Vedas call it imperishable; those free of craving enter it; seekers of the holy life desire it. Krishna gathers them together before saying anything about the path — and then promises to state that path briefly.
He keeps the promise: it takes two verses. Compare the length of the cosmology that follows. The method is short; what makes it matter is not.
Word by word
- yat
- which
- akṣharam
- Imperishable
- veda-vidaḥ
- scholars of the Vedas
- vadanti
- describe
- viśhanti
- enter
- yat
- which
- yatayaḥ
- great ascetics
- vīta-rāgāḥ
- free from attachment
- yat
- which
- ichchhantaḥ
- desiring
- brahmacharyam
- celibacy
- charanti
- practice
- tat
- that
- te
- to you
- padam
- goal
- saṅgraheṇa
- briefly
- pravakṣhye
- I shall explain
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