Complete learning edition. The Sanskrit source remains separate from attributed word meanings, translation, explanation and commentary witnesses. Diagrams and memory aids are study tools, not replacements for the source text.
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
Now, I will briefly speak of the imperishable goal, proclaimed by those who are versed in the scriptures, which the mystic attains when free from passion, and for which they are content to undergo the vow of continence.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.

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 |
The Supreme Being which is symbolised by the sacred monosyllable Om or the Pranava is the highest step or the supreme goal of man. The same ideas are expressed in the Kathopanishad.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaI will briefly tell you about that immutable Goal which the knowers of the Vedas declare; those who are diligent, free from attachment, and aspire for it, enter into it. People practice celibacy for it.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaI will briefly speak to you of that immutable Goal, which the knowers of the Vedas declare; into which diligent ones, free from attachment, enter, and for which people practice celibacy, aspiring.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe Supreme Being which is symbolised by the sacred monosyllable Om or the Pranava is the highest step or the supreme goal of man. The same ideas are expressed in the Kathopanishad.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Now, I will briefly speak of the imperishable goal, proclaimed by those who are versed in the scriptures, which the mystic attains when free from passion
- 2
for which they are content to undergo the vow of continence
- 3
yat: which

Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture remembrance and destination.
Link
Use the line starts: yad akṣharaṁ / viśhanti yad / yad ichchhanto / tat te.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Circle repeated sounds, names, or grammatical endings before consulting a meaning.
Read one line aloud, cover it, and reconstruct as much as you can from memory.
Compare with a checked edition and record the source before adding any translation.
Build meaning without hiding the work
Track Arjuna’s questions and Kṛṣṇa’s answers about Brahman, action, remembrance, destination and cosmic time.
Mark forms you want to investigate
These are visual tokens, not a reviewed sandhi split. Select repeated forms, endings, compounds, particles or speaker markers; verify segmentation with the Sanskrit tools or a checked edition.
Three questions for this verse
- 1
Which technical term is being defined?
- 2
What moment or destination is in view?
- 3
What practice connects them?
Write the verse into a question–answer glossary with its context.
Attempt before comparison
Make revision visible
Assessment: read aloud, explain the verse’s role in its chapter, identify one source boundary, answer one question and schedule a return.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
