Akshara Brahma Yoga · Verse 28

Bhagavad Gita 8.28

Knowing the way beyond rewards leads to the highest home.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैवदानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् ।
अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वायोगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
योगी इसको शुक्ल और कृष्णमार्गके रहस्यको जानकर वेदोंमें, यज्ञोंमें, तपोंमें तथा दानमें जोजो पुण्यफल कहे गये हैं, उन सभी पुण्यफलोंका अतिक्रमण कर जाता है और आदिस्थान परमात्माको प्राप्त हो जाता है ॥
English
Knowing the two paths, the yogi goes beyond all the merits declared in the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities, and gifts, and reaches the primal supreme abode.

What this verse means

Knowing the two paths frees a yogi from chasing ritual rewards. That understanding leads beyond all promised merit and into the highest state.

Context & commentary

On the battlefield, Arjuna is still frozen between action and withdrawal. Krishna closes this chapter by saying that the one who truly knows the two courses after death is no longer bound by ritual merit, but reaches the primal supreme abode.

Why this verse still matters

You finish a long ritual, a donation, or a hard discipline and still feel hungry for approval. This verse cuts through that bargain: real understanding is not about collecting spiritual points.

The takeaway

Relief comes when spiritual practice stops being a transaction and becomes a doorway.

Word-by-word translation

वेदेषु (in the Vedas) / यज्ञेषु (in sacrifices) / तपःसु (in austerities) / च (and) / एव (indeed) / दानेषु (in gifts) / यत् (which) / पुण्यफलम् (merit-fruit) / प्रदिष्टम् (is declared) / अत्येति (goes beyond) / तत् (that) / सर्वम् (all) / इदम् (this) / विदित्वा (having known) / योगी (the yogi) / परम् (supreme) / स्थानम् (abode) / उपैति (attains) / च (and) / आद्यम् (primordial)

Explore related themes: moksha (34 verses), yajna (32 verses), tapas (22 verses)

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