Bhagavad-gītā 12.1
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अर्जुन उवाचएवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते।येचाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः।।12.1।।
arjuna uvācha evaṁ satata-yuktā ye bhaktās tvāṁ paryupāsate ye chāpy akṣharam avyaktaṁ teṣhāṁ ke yoga-vittamāḥ
Those devotees who, ever-steadfast, thus worship Thee, and those also who worship the Imperishable, the Unmanifested,:which of them are better versed in Yoga?
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| arjunaḥ uvācha | Arjun said |
| evam | thus |
| satata | steadfastly |
| yuktāḥ | devoted |
| ye | those |
| bhaktāḥ | devotees |
| tvām | you |
| paryupāsate | worship |
| ye | those |
| cha | and |
| api | also |
| akṣharam | the imperishable |
| avyaktam | the formless Brahman |
| teṣhām | of them |
| ke | who |
| yoga-vit-tamāḥ | more perfect in Yog |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from arjunaḥ uvācha (Arjun said), ye (those), and yoga-vit-tamāḥ (more perfect in Yog). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to loving devotion and the qualities of a devotee. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 12.1.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare approaches to worship and study the concrete qualities of a devotee across the chapter’s compact sequence.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Those devotees who, ever-steadfast, thus worship Thee
- 2
those also who worship the Imperishable, the Unmanifested,
- 3
which of them are better versed in Yoga?
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
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Link
Use the line starts: arjuna uvācha / evaṁ satata-yuktā / ye chāpy.
Cover
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Teach
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.1, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 12.1 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.1 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.1 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.1, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition