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← Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion

Verse 12.3

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते | सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यं च कूटस्थमचलं ध्रुवम् ||३||

Transliteration (IAST)

ye tv akṣaram anirdeśyam avyaktaṁ paryupāsate | sarvatra-gam acintyaṁ ca kūṭa-stham acalaṁ dhruvam ||3||

Word-by-Word Meanings

akṣaram-the imperishable
anirdeśyam-the indefinable
avyaktam-the unmanifest
sarvatra-gam-all-pervading
acintyam-inconceivable
kūṭa-stham-unchanging
acalam-immovable
dhruvam-eternal

Translation

But those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the all-pervading, the inconceivable, the unchanging, the immovable, and the eternal -

Commentary

This verse begins a description of those who pursue the nirguṇa Brahman. Shankaracharya notes the seven adjectives (anirdeśya, avyakta, etc.) systematically negate all empirical attributes, pointing to the Absolute beyond predication. This verse continues into 12.4 as a single sentence describing the jñāna-yogī's path.

Themes

jnanaatman