Bhagavad-gītā 8.11
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः। यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये।।8.11।।
yad akṣharaṁ veda-vido vadanti viśhanti yad yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ yad ichchhanto brahmacharyaṁ charanti tat te padaṁ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣhye
What the knowers of the Veda speak of as Imperishable, what the self-controlled (Sannyâsins), freed from attachment enter, and to gain which goal they live the life of a Brahmachârin, that I shall declare unto thee in brief.
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 |
|---|---|
| yat | which |
| akṣharam | Imperishable |
| veda-vidaḥ | scholars of the Vedas |
| vadanti | describe |
| viśhanti | enter |
| yat | which |
| yatayaḥ | great ascetics |
| vīta-rāgāḥ | free from attachment |
| yat | which |
| ichchhantaḥ | desiring |
| brahmacharyam | celibacy |
| charanti | practice |
| tat | that |
| te | to you |
| padam | goal |
| saṅgraheṇa | briefly |
| pravakṣhye | I shall explain |
Keep the verse in view while connecting yat (which) and pravakṣhye (I shall explain). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to remembrance that shapes one's destination. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 8.11.
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: Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
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
What the knowers of the Veda speak of as Imperishable, what the self-controlled (Sannyâsins), freed from attachment enter
- 2
to gain which goal they live the life of a Brahmachârin, that I shall declare unto thee in brief
- 3
yat: which
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Use the line starts: yad akṣharaṁ / viśhanti yad / yad ichchhanto / tat te.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.11, 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 8.11 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 8.11 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 8.11 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 8.11, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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