With deep reverence, Arjuna listened as the Blessed Lord, Krishna, spoke to him. “Arjuna,” Krishna began, “when your mind is steadfastly attached to me, and you practice yoga under my guidance, hear how you can come to know me fully, leaving no room for doubt. I will reveal to you the complete knowledge and wisdom. Once you grasp this, nothing else remains to be known in this world. Among thousands, hardly one strives for perfection, and among those few who do, even fewer truly know me. My material nature consists of eight distinct elements: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego. But, O mighty-armed Arjuna, know that I have another nature, higher still—this is the living force within all beings, by which the world is sustained. Understand that all beings arise from these two natures—material and spiritual. I am the origin and the dissolution of the entire universe. Nothing is higher than me, O Dhananjaya; all creation is woven into me, as pearls are strung on a thread. I am the taste in water, Arjuna. I am the radiance in the moon and the sun. I am the sacred syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and the strength in men. I am the pure fragrance of the earth and the brilliance in fire. I am the life in all beings and the austerity among ascetics. Know me as the eternal seed of all beings, Arjuna. I am the intelligence of the intelligent and the splendor of the splendid. I am the strength of the strong, free from desire and attachment. Among beings, O best of the Bharatas, I am the desire that is in harmony with righteousness. All states born from the qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas originate from me. Yet I am not in them—they are in me. The entire world is deluded by these three gunas and fails to recognize me, who am beyond them and imperishable. My divine maya, composed of the gunas, is difficult to cross. But those who take refuge in me alone are able to cross over this maya. Evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men, whose knowledge is stolen by maya and who embrace demonic natures, do not seek refuge in me. Four kinds of virtuous people worship me, Arjuna: those who are distressed, seekers of knowledge, seekers of wealth, and the wise. Of these, the wise one, ever united with me and devoted to the One, is most distinguished. I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and he is dear to me. All these devotees are noble, but the wise one is regarded as my very self. With a disciplined mind, he is devoted to me alone as the highest goal. After many births, the man of knowledge takes refuge in me, realizing that Vasudeva is all. Such a great soul is rare. Those whose knowledge is taken away by desires worship other deities, following various rules, constrained by their own nature. Whatever form a devotee desires to worship with faith, I make that faith steady in him for that form. Endowed with that faith, he worships and obtains his desired objects, which are granted by me alone. However, the fruits gained by those of limited understanding are temporary. Those who worship the gods go to the gods, but my devotees come to me. The unwise think of me, the unmanifest, as having become manifest, not knowing my higher, imperishable, and supreme nature. I am not manifest to all, being veiled by my yoga-maya; the deluded world does not recognize me, the unborn and imperishable. I know, Arjuna, all beings—past, present, and future—but no one knows me. At birth, all beings become deluded by the confusion arising from the pairs of opposites, born of desire and aversion. But those whose sins have ended, who perform virtuous deeds and are freed from this confusion, worship me with firm resolve. Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in me, come to know Brahman, the entirety of spiritual knowledge, and all action. Those who know me as the Supreme with regard to beings, divinities, and sacrifices, with minds steadfast, know me even at the time of departure. Arjuna, eager for clarity, then asked, “O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the Self? What is action? What is called the Supreme with regard to beings, and what is said to be the Supreme with regard to divinities? O Madhusudana, how and who is the Supreme with regard to sacrifice in this body? And how are you to be known at the time of departure by those of controlled mind?” The Blessed Lord replied, “The imperishable is the supreme Brahman; one’s own nature is called the Self; the creative force that brings forth the existence of beings is called action. The perishable aspect is the Supreme with regard to beings; the Purusha is the Supreme with regard to divinities; and I alone am the Supreme with regard to sacrifice in this body, O best among embodied beings. Whoever, at the end, remembers me and leaves the body, attains my state—there is no doubt about this. O son of Kunti, whatever state one remembers when leaving the body, that state he attains, being always absorbed in that disposition. Therefore, at all times, remember me and fight; with mind and intellect dedicated to me, you will surely come to me, without doubt. With a mind disciplined by yoga, not wandering elsewhere, one who constantly contemplates the Supreme Divine Person, O Partha, attains him. He who remembers the poet, the ancient, the ruler, subtler than the subtle, the sustainer of all, whose form is inconceivable, radiant like the sun, beyond darkness—at the time of departure, with unwavering mind, united in devotion and by the power of yoga, placing the life-breath between the eyebrows—he attains that Supreme Divine Person.