8.21 The destination named Krishna speaks
अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम्
यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम
avyakto ’kṣhara ityuktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
That unmanifest and imperishable is called the highest destination. Having reached it, one does not return. It is my own abode.
Explanation
The answer to Arjuna's question, finally named.
That imperishable unmanifest is paramā gati, the highest destination — and reaching it, one does not return.
Then the register shifts in the last three words: it is my own abode. The impersonal absolute of 8.20 and the person Arjuna is standing next to are stated as the same thing, without argument and with no attempt to reconcile them. The Gita's habit is to set the two side by side and leave them there.
Word by word
- avyaktaḥ
- unmanifest
- akṣharaḥ
- imperishable
- iti
- thus
- uktaḥ
- is said
- tam
- that
- āhuḥ
- is called
- paramām
- the supreme
- gatim
- destination
- yam
- which
- prāpya
- having reached
- na
- never
- nivartante
- come back
- tat
- that
- dhāma
- abode
- paramam
- the supreme
- mama
- my
Long-press or right-click the image to copy it. Nothing is uploaded — it is drawn here, on your device.