O Partha, with a mind attached to Me, practicing yoga with Me as the refuge, know Me alone without doubt, fully, and hear how this can be done.

I shall teach you about knowledge and wisdom, knowing which there shall remain nothing more to be known.

Out of thousands among men, only a rare one endeavours for perfection. Even of the perfected ones who are diligent, one perchance knows Me in truth.

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego—these eight constitute My separated material energies.

Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjun, there is a superior energy of Mine which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of the material, inferior nature.

Know that all beings have their origin in these, and I am the source and dissolution of the entire universe.

O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), there is nothing superior to Me. All this universe is strung on Me, like jewels on a thread.

O son of Kunti, I am the taste in water, the light of the moon and the sun, the sacred syllable Om in the Vedic mantras, the sound in ether, and the ability in man.

I am the fragrance in earth, the brilliance in fire; I am the life in all beings, and the austerity in ascetics.

Know me, O Partha, to be the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the splendor of the splendid.

O Arjuna, I am the strength of the strong, devoid of desire and passion. I am desire itself, when it is in accordance with righteousness (Dharma), O chief of the Bharatas.

Know that all states of being – sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic – are born of Me alone, but I am not in them; they are in Me.

By these three modes of material nature, all this universe is bewildered; ignorant of my higher nature which is changeless and eternal.

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

Those of wicked deeds, the ignorant, the lowest of men, do not turn to me; they whose wisdom is stolen away by illusion, embodying a demonic nature.

Four kinds of pious people worship Me, O Arjun—the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise.

Of these, the wise one, constantly united, excels, for I am exceedingly dear to the wise, and they are dear to Me.

All these noble souls are indeed noble because they are devoted to knowledge and wisdom, and they consider me as the ultimate goal. Such steadfast individuals, being yoked to devotion, attain me alone, the highest destination.

After many births and deaths, the one who is wise surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

Those whose minds are distorted by desires surrender to other gods, following particular rules and regulations according to their own natures.

Whichever divine form (deity) a devotee wishes to worship with faith, I stabilize their faith in that form.

Endowed with that faith, one engages in worshiping that deity, and from that comes the fulfillment of desires, which are indeed ordained by me.

But the fruit of those of small intellect is limited; the worshippers of the gods go to the gods, but my devotees come to me.

Unaware of my higher nature, the imperishable, eternal, unmanifested, individuals perceive me as having taken birth.

I am not visible to everyone, veiled by the divine illusion. This deluded world does not recognize Me, the unborn and imperishable.

I know all beings, past, present, and future, Arjuna; but no one knows Me.

O Bharata, the delusion arising from desire and hate is the reason behind the perception of duality in this world. This delusion veils the true nature of all beings, causing them to wander in the cycle of birth and death

Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.

Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in me, understand the essence of the Vedas, the entirety of spiritual knowledge, and all actions.

Those who know Me as the Supreme Being of all beings, as the one who governs the cosmos, and as the one who is worshipped through sacrifices, even at the time of departure, they know Me with a steadfast mind.