Shloka 21
विभूति-योगः (Vibhūti-yoga) — Exemplary Manifestations as a Contemplative Index
जो अव्यक्त 'अक्षर'* इस नामसे कहा गया है, उसी अक्षर नामक अव्यक्तभावको परम गतिः कहते हैं तथा जिस सनातन अव्यक्तभावको प्राप्त होकर मनुष्य वापस नहीं आते, वह मेरा परम धाम है
yad avyaktam akṣaram iti uktaṁ, tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim; yaṁ prāpya na nivartante, tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
Arjuna said: That unmanifest reality which is spoken of as the ‘Imperishable’ is declared to be the highest goal. Having attained that eternal, unmanifest state, people do not return again to mortal existence—this is My supreme abode.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies the ‘Unmanifest’ and ‘Imperishable’ (avyakta-akṣara) as the highest spiritual goal: attaining it ends the cycle of return to mortal life. It frames liberation as reaching Krishna’s supreme abode—an eternal state beyond decay and rebirth.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra war setting, Arjuna speaks within the Gītā dialogue, articulating (in response to the teaching on the ultimate goal) that the unmanifest imperishable reality is the supreme destination, and that reaching it means no return to saṁsāra—described as Krishna’s highest abode.