Sacred sound should carry sacred remembrance.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् |यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ||८-१३||
omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran . yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||8-13||
Use this verse for Om-based Krishna remembrance.
Meaning
One who departs while uttering the single syllable Om, remembering Me, and leaving the body, attains the supreme goal.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Om with Krishna remembrance leads to the supreme goal.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna connects sacred sound with divine remembrance. Om is not only sound; it is a doorway to the imperishable. But the verse also says remembering Me, so sound and devotion must unite.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna completes the technique by adding its sacred sound. The one who, while leaving the body, utters the single syllable Om — the very sound-form of Brahman — and at the same time remembers the Lord, attains the supreme goal (param gatim).
Two elements are joined here: the sound and the remembrance. Om (ekaksharam brahma) is the primordial vibration, the audible symbol of the imperishable. But Krishna is careful to add mam anusmaran — 'remembering Me.'
The sacred syllable is not a mechanical incantation; it carries the soul only when filled with loving remembrance of the Divine to whom it points. Sound and devotion together lift consciousness to its highest destination. This is the crown of the practice begun in the previous verses: senses stilled, mind gathered, breath raised, and now the heart resounding with Om and full of God, the seeker passes into the supreme state.
In daily life
Chant Om with awareness of Krishna, not mechanically.
Before meditation, chanting Om slowly can gather the mind into devotional stillness.
Try this today
Chant Om three times while remembering Krishna.
My sound, breath, and memory turn toward Krishna.Reflect
Do I chant with awareness or habit alone?
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Quick check
What does ‘सः याति परमाम् गतिम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on om, in other chapters
- Verse 17.24Begin meaningful actions by dedicating them to the Divine — that remembrance lifts ordinary deeds into sacred offerings.
- Verse 7.30Steady remembrance of the Divine woven through life holds firm even at death's threshold — practice now what you wish to recall then.
- Verse 2.72The path described in Chapter 2 leads to a state from which there is no falling back — steady, clear, and ultimately free.
- Verse 9.17The Divine is at once the loving parent of all life and the highest truth we seek to know — tenderness and transcendence united.
Swipe left for 8.14 · Constant remembrance makes Krishna near.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 8.13
Who says Bhagavad Gita 8.13, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 8.13, in Chapter 8, Aksara Brahma Yoga (Aksara Brahma Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 8.13 mean?
One who departs while uttering the single syllable Om, remembering Me, and leaving the body, attains the supreme goal. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 8.13 for daily life?
Chant Om with awareness of Krishna, not mechanically. Before meditation, chanting Om slowly can gather the mind into devotional stillness.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 8.13 mean?
ॐ इति — the syllable Om; एकाक्षरम् ब्रह्म — the one-syllabled Brahman; व्याहरन् — uttering; माम् अनुस्मरन् — remembering Me; यः प्रयाति त्यजन् देहम् — whoever departs, leaving the body.
Where does verse 8.13 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 13 of 28 in Chapter 8, Aksara Brahma Yoga. The next verse is 8.14.