Raja Vidya Yoga
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga • 34 verses
Krishna reveals the 'royal knowledge' — the most secret and direct path to liberation through devotion and surrender. He teaches that even the most sinful person can cross over all wickedness through the boat of devotion.
Chapter Overview
Krishna calls this the royal knowledge, the king of secrets — and then gives it away immediately, which tells you what kind of secret it is.
The claim is large. All of this rests in him, and he is not contained by any of it. He holds beings without being held by them. He is the ritual, the offering, the fire and the thing offered. Whatever you worship, however you name it, he says the offering reaches him.
Then the door opens wider than anyone expects. Even a person of terrible conduct, if they turn with a whole heart, is to be counted among the good — they will steady quickly, and peace will follow. No caste, no birth, no gender is a barrier here.
And the price is set almost absurdly low. A leaf, a flower, a fruit, water. Offered with love, that is enough. What matters is what came with it, not what it cost.
Key Verses
श्रीभगवानुवाच | इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं प्रवक्ष्याम्यनसूयवे | ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितं यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ||९-१||
śrībhagavānuvāca . idaṃ tu te guhyatamaṃ pravakṣyāmyanasūyave . jñānaṃ vijñānasahitaṃ yajjñātvā mokṣyase.aśubhāt ||9-1||
The Blessed Lord said: I shall now declare to thee who does not cavil, the greatest secret, the knowledge combined with experience (Self-realisation). Having known this thou shalt be free evil.
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् | प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ||९-२||
rājavidyā rājaguhyaṃ pavitramidamuttamam . pratyakṣāvagamaṃ dharmyaṃ susukhaṃ kartumavyayam ||9-2||
This is the kingl science, the kingly secret, the supreme purifier, realisable by direct intuitional knowledge, according to righteousness, very easy to perform and imperishable.
अश्रद्दधानाः पुरुषा धर्मस्यास्य परन्तप | अप्राप्य मां निवर्तन्ते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि ||९-३||
aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa . aprāpya māṃ nivartante mṛtyusaṃsāravartmani ||9-3||
Those who have no faith in this Dharma (knowledge of the Self), O Parantapa (Arjuna), return to the path of this world of death without attaining Me.
मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना | मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः ||९-४||
mayā tatamidaṃ sarvaṃ jagadavyaktamūrtinā . matsthāni sarvabhūtāni na cāhaṃ teṣvavasthitaḥ ||9-4||
All this world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings exist in Me, but I do not dwell in them.
न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् | भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः ||९-५||
na ca matsthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogamaiśvaram . bhūtabhṛnna ca bhūtastho mamātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ||9-5||
Nor do beings exist in Me (in reality); behold My divine Yoga, supporting all beings, but not dwelling in them, is My Self, the efficient cause of beings.