Bhagavad Gita 8.13 ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्

Bhagavad Gita 8.13 — word by word

Explanation

Completing the thought of 8.12: whoever departs, leaving the body while uttering the single syllable Om, which is Brahman, and remembering me, reaches the supreme goal. Sacred sound and loving remembrance together carry the soul to the highest goal. This is the practice begun in 8.12.

Om is the sacred syllable that sums up the Vedas; the Mandukya and Katha Upanishads identify it with Brahman, and Krishna has already said in 7.8 that he is Om in all the Vedas. Here the outward sound and the inner remembrance go together. Shankara takes this as the path of gradual liberation (krama-mukti) through the higher worlds. Ramanuja stresses that remembering the Lord is what makes the chanting fruitful. The verse underlies the Hindu practice of chanting Om or a divine name beside the dying.

भावार्थ

जो ओम् — इस एक अक्षर ब्रह्म — का उच्चारण करता हुआ और मेरा स्मरण करता हुआ शरीर छोड़कर जाता है, वह परम गति को प्राप्त होता है। अर्थात् पवित्र नाम और प्रभु का स्मरण साथ-साथ चलें।

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