📿 Shloka Collection

Kavim Puranam Anushasitaram

Gita 8.9 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8 — Akshara Brahma Yoga
कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः ।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥
Kavim puranam anushasitaram anor aneeyamsam anusmared yah,
Sarvasya dhataram achintyarupam adityavarnam tamasah parastat.
कविम्
the all-knowing
पुराणम्
the most ancient
अनुशासितारम्
the ruler of all
अणोः अणीयांसम्
subtler than the subtlest atom
अनुस्मरेत्
should meditate upon
यः
one who
सर्वस्य धातारम्
the sustainer of all
अचिन्त्यरूपम्
whose form is beyond thought
आदित्यवर्णम्
radiant like the sun
तमसः परस्तात्
beyond all darkness

Krishna paints a portrait of the Supreme for meditation. Meditate on the One who is all-knowing, ancient beyond time, the ruler of everything, subtler than the tiniest atom. The One who sustains every creature, whose form cannot be grasped by thought, who blazes like the sun and dwells entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance.

Each phrase adds a layer. Like the sun that drives away night, God dispels the darkness of ignorance. Like the wind that is everywhere but cannot be seen, God is subtler than the smallest particle — present in all things, yet invisible to the eye.

Our elders have always said: understanding God fully may be beyond the mind, but feeling His presence is not. This shloka is steeped in that spirit — it invites contemplation, not just comprehension.

This shloka pairs with 8.10 to form a complete meditation instruction. Verse 8.9 describes what to meditate on (the qualities of the Supreme), and 8.10 describes how to meditate (with bhakti, yoga, and concentrated breath). The phrase "adityavarnam tamasah parastat" echoes the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, which similarly describes the Supreme as radiant and beyond darkness.

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