Gita 08.13 – External recitation and internal recollection propel us to spiritual liberation
oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma
vyāharan mām anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim (Bg 8.13)
Word-for-word:
oṁ — the combination of letters oṁ (oṁ-kāra); iti — thus; eka-akṣaram — the one syllable; brahma — absolute; vyāharan — vibrating; mām — Me (Kṛṣṇa); anusmaran — remembering; yaḥ — anyone who; prayāti — leaves; tyajan — quitting; deham — this body; saḥ — he; yāti — achieves; paramām — the supreme; gatim — destination.
Translation:
After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable oṁ, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets.
Explanation:
oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma: The single syllable oṁ (a transcendental sound vibration) is a manifestation of Brahman.
vyāharan mām anusmaran: By vibrating (this syllable) while remembering Me
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ: One who departs this world, giving up the body,
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim: That person attains the supreme destination.
Here, Kṛṣṇa states that one should not merely chant oṁ, but should also remember Him in order to attain the supreme destination. Two verses earlier, in 8.11, Kṛṣṇa mentioned that He would briefly outline the process. In the previous verse, He described pratyāhāra and the inward turning of the mind toward dhāraṇā. Now, He explains the movement of consciousness toward samādhi.
Kṛṣṇa is emphasizing remembrance here. Very often, when yogīs meditate on oṁ, they focus solely on the sound vibration without contemplating the reality that the sound represents. They do not necessarily think of Kṛṣṇa. In fact, oṁ is frequently used by impersonalists as a way of addressing the Absolute Truth without acknowledging its personal feature. But the personal feature is not merely one aspect of the Absolute Truth; it is actually its essence.
The syllable oṁ itself is not the province or monopoly of the impersonalists. Oṁ is simply an invocatory address to the Absolute Truth. It appears prominently at the beginning of many Vaiṣṇava mantras as well: Oṁ Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya, Oṁ Namo Nārāyaṇāya, Oṁ Śrī Kṛṣṇāya Namaḥ. All these mantras include oṁ.
Oṁ serves as a generic invocation of the Absolute Truth. It is non-descript in the sense that it does not by itself reveal the identity of the Absolute Truth. Therefore, Vaiṣṇavas use oṁ as a general reference and then follow it with more specific names that indicate who that Absolute Truth truly is—Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa.
Here, Kṛṣṇa is not recommending a non-specific or diffused kind of meditation. Yes, oṁ is to be recited—oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran. While chanting oṁ, one should remember Him. Without remembering Kṛṣṇa, whatever one may achieve remains incomplete and ultimately temporary. Even rising to the level of impersonal Brahman is not as fulfilling to the heart as establishing a personal connection with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa emphasizes that there must be both external recitation and internal contemplation.
The external recitation mentioned here is the chanting of oṁ. However, as devotee sādhakas in Kali-yuga, we follow the Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The principle Kṛṣṇa states in this verse still applies: while chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, along with the external recitation, we internally meditate on and remember Kṛṣṇa. External recitation combined with internal recollection propels us toward liberation. The liberation described here is sa yāti paramāṁ gatim—such a person attains the supreme destination.
The conception of the supreme destination (paramāṁ gatim) varies among transcendentalists. Impersonalists regard the Brahman effulgence as the highest goal, and thus that is the destination they attain. Devotees, however, understand that the personal abode of Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate destination, and they progress toward that supreme realm. For this attainment, remembrance of Kṛṣṇa must accompany one’s recitation.
Spiritual journey is, at its core, a journey of transforming our consciousness. To the extent that our consciousness does not change, to that extent we are not truly progressing. No matter how many external symbols of renunciation we adopt or how much recognition we gain within a spiritual setting, none of that guarantees real advancement. A yogī may leave the world and live in a forest, and a sādhaka may join a spiritual organization and rise within its hierarchy, but these external shifts alone do not ensure spiritual growth or prepare one for liberation.
What is required is an inner change—a sustained, steady elevation of consciousness from the material to the spiritual. It is a shift from dwelling on worldly concerns to contemplating Kṛṣṇa. Such an elevation of consciousness will gradually—yet inevitably—make us increasingly Kṛṣṇa-centered.
Compared to the recitation of Om, chanting mantras that contain Kṛṣṇa’s names has several advantages. The primary benefit is that Kṛṣṇa’s names far more naturally, immediately, and sweetly evoke remembrance of Him. When we chant Om, it is unlikely that the sound alone will spontaneously bring thoughts of Kṛṣṇa to the mind. Yes, if one is deeply grounded in philosophy and thoroughly absorbed in understanding the ontological non-difference between Om and Kṛṣṇa, then even chanting Om can invoke thoughts of Him. However, that level of realization may take a long time to develop.
On the other hand, names such as Yaśodā-nandana, Rādhā-vallabha, or Kṛṣṇa directly refer to the Supreme Person and naturally evoke personal, loving images. In this way, they stimulate and support remembrance of Kṛṣṇa much more easily, sweetly, and immediately.
Thus, the external recitation of the holy names, together with the inner recollection of Kṛṣṇa that it consequently triggers, can guide one toward Kṛṣṇa and ultimately toward liberation. How such liberation can be easily attained simply by remembering Kṛṣṇa will be described in the next verse, which we will discuss in our next class.
Thank you.
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