Bhagavad Gita 11.37कस्माच्च ते न नमेरन्महात्मन् गरीयसे ब्रह्मणोऽप्यादिकर्त्रे।अनन्त देवेश जगन्निवास त्वमक्षरं सदसत्तत्परं यत् ॥
kasmāch cha te na nameran mahātman garīyase brahmaṇo ’py
ādi-kartre ananta deveśha jagan-nivāsa tvam akṣharaṁ sad-asat tat paraṁ yat
Sanskrit recitation
After awe — devotion · 11.35–11.55 · Teaching
Translation
And why should they not, O great Soul, bow to Thee Who art greater than all else, the primal cause even of the Creator (Brahma), O Infinite Being, O Lord of the gods, O Abode of the universe; Thou art the imperishable, the Being, the non-being, and That which is supreme—that which is beyond the Being and the non-being.
Hindi translation
हे महात्मन् ! गुरुओंके भी गुरु और ब्रह्माके भी आदिकर्ता आपके लिये (वे सिद्धगण) नमस्कार क्यों नहीं करें? क्योंकि हे अनन्त ! हे देवेश ! हे जगन्निवास ! आप अक्षरस्वरूप हैं; आप सत् भी हैं, असत् भी हैं, और सत्-असत् से पर भी जो कुछ है, वह भी आप ही हैं।
Meaning
The Lord is Mahatma. He is greater than all else. He is the imperishable. So He is the proper object of worship, love and delight.That which exists in the three periods of time is Sat. Brahman is Sat. That which does not exist in the three periods of time is Asat. This world is Asat. This body is Asat.The words Sat and Asat mean here the manifested and the unmanifested which form the adjuncts of the Akshara (imperishable). In reality the Akshara transcends both these. The word Akshara is applied in the Gita sometimes to the Unmanifest (Nature) and sometimes to the Supreme Being.Ananta is He Who is free from the three kinds of limitations (of time, space and thing) which have already been explained.Arjuna again praises the Lord thus
After Swami Sivananda
After awe — devotion· 11.35–11.55→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 11.35Sanjaya said, Having heard that speech of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, with joined palms,…
- 11.36Arjuna said, "It is fitting, O Krishna, that the world delights and rejoices in Your…
11.37And why should they not, O great Soul, bow to Thee Who art greater than all else, the…
- 11.38You are the primal God, the ancient Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe, the…
- 11.39You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator, and the great-grandfather. I…
- 11.40Salutations to You in front and behind! Salutations to You on every side! O All! You,…
- 11.41Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or love, addressing You as O…
- 11.42In whatever way I may have insulted You for the sake of fun, while at play, reposing,…
- 11.43Thou art the Father of this world, both moving and unmoving. Thou art to be adored by this…
- 11.44Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I crave Thy forgiveness, O adorable Lord.…
- 11.45I am delighted, having seen something never seen before; yet my mind is distressed with…
- 11.46I desire to see You as before, crowned, bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in Your…
- 11.47The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, this Cosmic Form has graciously been shown to you by Me…
- 11.48Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifices, nor by severe…
- 11.49Do not be afraid, nor be bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of Mine; with your fear…
- 11.50Sanjaya said, Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krishna again showed His own form. The great…
- 11.51Arjuna said, "Having seen this Thy gentle human form, O Krishna, now I am composed and…
- 11.52The Blessed Lord said, "It is very hard indeed to see this form of Mine which thou hast…
- 11.53Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in…
- 11.54But by single-minded devotion, I can be known, seen, and entered into in reality, O…
- 11.55He who does all actions for Me, who regards Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who…
Word-by-word→
- te
- you
- api
- even
- cha
- and
- tat
- that
- yat
- which
- tvam
- you
- param
- beyond
- ananta
- The limitless One
- kasmāt
- why
- sat-asat
- manifest and non-manifest
- garīyase
- who are greater
- akṣharam
- the imperishable
- na nameran
- should they not bow down
- deva-īśha
- Lord of the devatās
- ādi-kartre
- to the original creator
- mahā-ātman
- The Great one
- brahmaṇaḥ
- than Brahma
- jagat-nivāsa
- Refuge of the universe
Related verses
- 9.33How much more easily, then, do Brahmins and devoted royal saints attain the goal? Having…
- 10.12Arjuna said, "You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier,…
- 12.3Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the omnipresent, the…
- 11.11Wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with divine unguents, the all-wonderful,…