That which is declared Imperishable by those who know the Vedas, that which the self-controlled (ascetics or Sannyasins) and passion-free enter, that desiring which celibacy is practised that goal I will declare to thee in brief.
In simple words
Krishna says: "Let me briefly describe that goal which the knowers of the sacred texts call imperishable — the goal that disciplined, passion-free seekers enter, the goal for which people practice lifelong celibacy and self-control."
यत्whichअक्षरम्imperishableवेदविदःknowers of the Vedasवदन्तिdeclareविशन्तिenterयत्whichयतयःthe selfcontrolled (ascetics or Sannyasins)वीतरागाःfreed from attachmentयत्whichइच्छन्तःdesiringब्रह्मचर्यम्celibacyचरन्तिpractiseतत्thatते
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
8.11 यत् which? अक्षरम् imperishable? वेदविदः knowers of the Vedas? वदन्ति declare? विशन्ति enter? यत् which? यतयः the selfcontrolled (ascetics or Sannyasins)? वीतरागाः freed from attachment? यत् which? इच्छन्तः desiring? ब्रह्मचर्यम् celibacy? चरन्ति practise? तत् that? ते to thee? पदम् goal? संग्रहेण in brief? प्रवक्ष्ये (I) will declare.Commentary The Supreme Being which is symbolised by the sacred monosyllable Om or the Pranava is the highest step or the supreme goal of man.The same ideas are expressed in the Kathopanishad. Yama (the God of Death) said to Nachiketas? The goal which all the Vedas speak of? which all penances proclaim and wishing for which they lead the life of celibacy? that goal (world) I will briefly tell thee. It is Om. Satyakama the son of Sibi estioned Pippalada? O Bhagavan? if some one among men meditates here until death on the syllable Om? what world does he obtain by that Pippalada replied? O Satyakama? the syllable Om is indeed the higher and the lower Brahman. He who meditates on the higher Purusha with this syllable Om of three Matras (units) is led up by the Samaverses to the Brahmaloka or the world of Brahma. (Prasnopanishad)Pranava or Om is considered either as an expression of the Supreme Self or Its symbol like anidol (Pratika). It serves persons of dull and middling intellects as a means for realising the Supreme Self.Chant Om three times at the commencement of your meditation you will find concentration of mind easier.
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
In this verse, which recalls a mantra from a celebrated Upanishad, the Blessed Lord Krishna, praising the goal, declares that in the verses to follow, He will expound upon the supreme objective of perfection and the means to attain it.
To achieve complete success in the practice of meditation, the mind must possess the necessary capacity and refinement. To cultivate this capacity, nearly all the Upanishads have taught the worship of the sacred syllable Om (pranava upasana) at many places. From the age of the Puranas onward, this practice has been supplemented by the meditation and worship of the manifest form of the Divine or His incarnations, performed with faith and devotion. The purpose and utility of such meditation remain the same as that of the Vedic practices.
Here, the seeker is given guidance regarding various obstacles and necessary precautions, so that his spiritual pilgrimage may become simpler and more joyful. Generally, all the obstacles of which seekers complain arise from their identification with non-self limitations. The seeker finds himself unable to turn his mind away from this identification with these limitations. Therefore, as a science of self-unfoldment, Vedanta must not only teach the method of meditation but also indicate the possible obstacles and describe the means to remain protected from them. If the seeker possesses complete knowledge of these, he can quickly safeguard himself. This verse indicates how, through self-control and dispassion, one may progress peacefully on this path.
Earlier in this chapter, Brahman was described as the Imperishable in its characteristic definition. The Blessed Lord Krishna emphasizes with particular force that those who are free from attachment, maintaining celibacy and purity, enter into this Imperishable Brahman.
The Gita is indeed the song of renunciation throughout, but this is not the destructive renunciation of the dull-minded, but rather the dispassion born of discrimination—the harbinger of all progress and development everywhere. The renunciation of desires is the fruit of the natural maturation of the intellect, not the suppression of the mind's tendencies. Newly opened buds, after some time, shed their tender and beautiful petals and stand bare, expressing the renunciation of beauty. Yet in nature, this occurs only when the process of pollination is complete and the process of fruit-formation has begun. To the eye of an ordinary observer, the scattering of petals may appear as the flower's great renunciation; but a farmer knows that this renunciation of the flower is the result of the maturity it has just attained, and that these beautiful petals have naturally fallen away because of this ripeness.
Similarly, within the spiritual knowledge of India, renunciation and dispassion are indeed emphasized as necessary, but their meaning is not a sorrowful and melancholic self-denial or self-punishment. Certainly, some religions do promote and practice renunciation of this kind. The sages of the Upanishads have always taught and insisted upon dispassion born of right discrimination alone. Therefore, by the word "free from attachment," one should understand those seekers who, having recognized the insignificance of worldly objects and the supreme excellence of life's ultimate goal, have become entirely free from attachment to sensory pursuits.
It is also an established fact that the greater the number of desires, the greater the distraction in the mind. An abundance of distractions means a diminishment of mental capacity. The seeker's success in meditation depends upon the strength of the mind, and mental peace is that wealth by which the difficulties and sufferings of this journey can be lessened. Therefore, as a general principle, it may be said that in the path of knowledge, those persons have the greater opportunity for success in whom the number of desires is minimal.
To explain the method and fruit of worship, the Blessed Lord speaks—