श्रीभगवानुवाच | अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते | भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः
śrībhagavānuvāca . akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo.adhyātmamucyate . bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ
ശ്രീഭഗവാൻ പറഞ്ഞു: നശിക്കാത്തത് പരമമായ ബ്രഹ്മമാകുന്നു. സ്വഭാവത്തെ അദ്ധ്യാത്മം എന്ന് പറയുന്നു. ജീവികളുടെ ഉത്ഭവത്തിനും വളർച്ചയ്ക്കും കാരണമാകുന്ന യാഗകർമ്മങ്ങളെയാണ് കർമ്മം എന്ന് പറയുന്നത്.
The Blessed Lord said The Immutable is the supreme Brahman; self-hood is said to the entity present in the individual plane. By action is meant the offerings which bring about the origin of the existence of things.
അർജ്ജുനന്റെ ചോദ്യങ്ങൾക്ക് ഭഗവാൻ മറുപടി നൽകാൻ തുടങ്ങുന്നു. അക്ഷരമായ ബ്രഹ്മത്തെ പരമമായ ബ്രഹ്മമായി നിർവചിക്കുന്നു. ഓരോ വ്യക്തിയിലുമുള്ള ആന്തരികമായ ആത്മാവിനെ അദ്ധ്യാത്മം എന്നും, ജീവികളുടെ ഉത്ഭവത്തിനും നിലനിൽപ്പിനും കാരണമാകുന്ന യാഗങ്ങളെ കർമ്മം എന്നും ഭഗവാൻ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു.
Brahman is imperishable? immutable? eternal? selfexistent? selfluminous? unchanging and allpervading. It is the source? root and womb of everything. In It all beings that are manifested live? move and have their very being. Hence? It is Paramam? the Supreme and Akshara.Its essential nature or Svabhava is Adhyatma. Brahmans dwelling in each individual body as the innermost Self (the Pratyagatma) is called Adhyatma. Yajnavalkya (a great sage of the Upanishadic period) said O Gargi Heaven and earth stand upheld in their places. The Brahmanas call this (Brahman) the Akshara (the imperishable). It is neither red nor white It is not shadow? not darkness? nor air? not ehter? without adhesion? without smell? without eyes? without ears? without speech? without mind? without light? without breath? without a mouth or door? without measures? having nothing within and nothing outside It. It does not consume anything? nor does anyone consume It. Akshara is the Supreme Brahman only.Akshara here does not mean the holy word Om? or the Avyakta (the unmanifested source of all that is in Nature). There is Laya (absorption) for Om. There is destruction for the unmanifested Nature also. Therefore Brahman is the Akshara? the Imperishable? the Supreme Being.Offering All virtuous work.The sacrificial act which consists of offering cooked rice? cakes? etc.? to the gods and which causes the genesis and support of beings is called Karma. The oblations in the sacrifice assume a subtle form and reach the sphere of the sun. Through the sun there is rain? and various sorts of grains? vegetables and fruits crop up. The living beings (Bhutas) live and develop on account of rice and other foodstuffs. Therefore Yajnas are the cause of the genesis and support of all beings.