Bhagavad Gita BG 13.25
Chapter 13, Verse 25 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना । अन्ये सांख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ॥
dhyanena atmani pashyanti kecid atmanam atmana anye sankhyena yogena karma-yogena capare
Meaning
Some perceive the Self in the Self by the Self through meditation (dhyana); others by the yoga of knowledge (Sankhya); and others still by karma yoga.
Understanding
Three paths to the same Self-knowledge: dhyanena (through meditation — turning the mind inward to witness its own source). Atmani atmanam atmana pashyanti (perceiving the Atman in the Atman by the Atman — the subject, object, and instrument of meditation are all the One). Anye sankhyena yogena (others by Sankhya yoga — the yoga of discrimination, of knowing Purusha-Prakriti distinction, the approach of the present chapter). Karma-yogena capare (and others by karma yoga — action performed without attachment to results). Three valid routes; one destination. No hierarchy is implied — all three lead to the same Self-recognition.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ध्यानेन | dhyanena | through meditation, by contemplative practice |
| आत्मनि | atmani | in the Self, within the Atman |
| आत्मना | atmana | by the Self — the instrument of knowing is also the Self |
| सांख्येन योगेन | sankhyena yogena | by Sankhya yoga — the yoga of discriminative knowledge |
| कर्मयोगेन | karma-yogena | by karma yoga — the yoga of action without attachment |
| ध्यानेन | dhyānena | by meditation |
| आत्मनि | ātmani | within the self |
| पश्यन्ति | paśyanti | they see, they perceive |
| केचित् | kecit | some |
| आत्मानम् | ātmānam | the self |
| आत्मना | ātmanā | by the mind, by themselves |
| अन्ये | anye | others |
| सांख्येन | sāṃkhyena yogena | by the yoga of knowledge |
| च | cāpare | and yet others |
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