FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 6.28

युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मष: । सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्न‍ुते ॥ २८ ॥
yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ
[yunjann evam sadaatmaanam]
yogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ
[yogee vigata-kalmashah]
sukhena brahma-saṁsparśam
[sukhena brahma-samsparsham]
atyantaṁ sukham aśnute
[atyantam sukham ashnute]
Word-for-word
yuñjan — engaging in yoga practice evam — thus sadā — always ātmānam — the self yogī — one who is in touch with the Supreme Self vigata — freed from kalmaṣaḥ — all material contamination sukhena — in transcendental happiness brahma - saṁsparśam — being in constant touch with the Supreme atyantam — the highest sukham — happiness aśnute — attains .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ
yuñjan
engaging in yoga practice
evam
thus
sadā
always
ātmānam
the self
yogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ
yogī
one who is in touch with the Supreme Self
vigata
freed from
kalmaṣaḥ
all material contamination
sukhena brahma-saṁsparśam
sukhena
in transcendental happiness
brahma - saṁsparśam
being in constant touch with the Supreme
atyantaṁ sukham aśnute
atyantam
the highest
sukham
happiness
aśnute
attains .
Important Words
  • yuñjan — engaging in yoga practice
    Present participle of √yuj. Same word as 6.15 — the chapter's drumbeat: yuñjan, yuñjan. Yoga is the continuous yoking; the result follows the continuity.
  • sadā — always
    Echoes 6.10's satatam and 6.15's sadā. The chapter will not let us forget — sadā, sadā. Constancy is the path's central rule.
  • vigata — freed from
    Vi-gata, 'gone away.' Past participle of vi-√gam. The kalmaṣa has departed — left, not been held off. The verse names a state of accomplished cleanliness.
  • kalmaṣaḥ — material contamination
    Same word as the akalmaṣam of 6.27, here in the noun form. The two verses are paired: 27 names the state, 28 describes how it is attained — by constant engagement.
  • brahma-saṁsparśam — constant touch with the Supreme
    Sam-sparśa — 'thorough contact.' Brahma is touched, not merely contemplated. The Gauḍīya reading: brahma here means the personal Absolute, Kṛṣṇa. The contact is intimate.
  • atyantam — the highest
    Ati-anta, 'beyond all end.' Endless, ultimate. Modifies sukham — the happiness has no terminus. Once gained, it does not deplete.
Thus the self-controlled yogī, constantly engaged in yoga practice, becomes free from all material contamination and achieves the highest stage of perfect happiness in transcendental loving service to the Lord.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
What was struggle now becomes 'sukhena' — by ease. The same yoking that once felt impossible now yields brahma-saṁsparśa, the touch of Brahman, automatically. Continuous practice converts effort into spontaneity.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Note the play: sukhena … sukham — by happiness, happiness. Saṁsparśa ('contact') is gentler than aikya ('union'); the verse leaves room for both monist and theistic readings. This rounds out the 6.15-28 promise sequence before the famous sama-darśin verses begin.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
एवं सदा आत्मानं युञ्जन् विगत-कल्मषः योगी ब्रह्म-संस्पर्शम् अत्यन्तं सुखं सुखेन अश्नुते।
evaṃ sadā ātmānaṃ yuñjan vigata-kalmaṣaḥ yogī brahma-saṃsparśam atyantaṃ sukhaṃ sukhena aśnute|
Thus continually yoking the self, the yogī, with stain gone, easily enjoys the unsurpassed happiness that is contact with Brahman.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
युञ्जन् एवं सदा आत्मानं योगी विगत-कल्मषः । सुखेन ब्रह्म-संस्पर्शम् अत्यन्तं सुखम् अश्नुते ॥
yuñjan evaṃ sadā ātmānaṃ yogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ | sukhena brahma-saṃsparśam atyantaṃ sukham aśnute ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
युञ्जन् yuñjan √युज् pres. (present)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. yoking
एवम् evam ind. (indeclinable) thus
सदा sadā ind. (indeclinable) always
विगत-कल्मषः vigata-kalmaṣaḥ विगत (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + कल्मष (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) with stain gone
योगी yogī योगिन् (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) yogī
सुखेन sukhena सुख (n.) ins.sg. (instrumental singular) with ease
ब्रह्म-संस्पर्शम् brahma-saṃsparśam ब्रह्मन् (n.) + संस्पर्श (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) contact with Brahman
अत्यन्तम् atyantam अत्यन्त (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. unsurpassed
सुखम् sukham सुख (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) happiness
अश्नुते aśnute √अश् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) enjoys
Purport

Self-realization means knowing one’s constitutional position in relationship to the Supreme. The individual soul is part and parcel of the Supreme, and his position is to render transcendental service to the Lord. This transcendental contact with the Supreme is called brahma-saṁsparśa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Thus constantly engaging his mind, the yogī, free of all sin, easily attains the intense bliss of contact with Brahman as a jīvan-mukta.
Commentary

Then, he attains success. Attaining bliss means he becomes jīvan-mukta, liberated even in this life.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Thus constantly experiencing ātmā, the yogī, free of all sin, easily attains the unlimited bliss of experiencing paramātmā.
Commentary

After directly realizing his own ātmā, he then directly realizes the paramātmā. Experiencing his own ātmā by the yoga method described above (ātmānam yuñjan), with all faults burned up by this method (vigata kalmasaḥ), the yogī easily (sukhena) attains the unlimited happiness (sukham), the realization of paramātmā (brahma saṁsparśam).

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

'Brahma‑samsparsam' ‑ being in constant touch with the Supreme. 'Atyantam' ‑ the highest. 'Sukham' ‑ happiness.'Asnute'‑ he attains. By practicing, free from mental, sensual engagement, other than in Krsna consciousness, in goodness, one easily contacts the Supersoul, depending upon one's desire and in this state he becomes a 'jivan‑mukta'.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Brahma-samsparsha platform – One achieves full perfection and bliss by being in constant touch with

the Supreme, and thus one engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord

LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 6.28 & 6.29:

Krishna further clarifies this point in the next verse.

Focus of Learning

(a) Self realization – defined as knowing one’s constitutional position in relationship with the

Supreme

Identity – Individual soul is part and parcel of the Supreme
Constitutional position is to render transcendental loving service to the Lord
This transcendental contact with the Supreme is called ‘brahma-samsparsha’

(a) Definition of Brahma-bhuta platform – It is the state of being free from material contamination

and situated in the transcendental service of the Lord

Ref. Bg. 18.54 “mad-bhaktim labhate...”

(b) How one can become fixed in the quality of Brahman – One should fix one’s mind on the lotus

feet of the Lord

(c) Krishna consciousness offers the same benefits

Two benefits of always engaging in transcendental loving service
To be factually liberated from the mode of passion
Freedom from all material contamination
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
6.28 Sada yunjan, by constantly concentrating; atmanam, his mind; evam, thus, in the process stated; vigata-kalmasah, the taintles, sinless yogi, free from the obstacles to Yoga; sukhena, easily; asnute, attains; atayantam, absolute-that which exists by transcending limits-, supreme, unsurpassable; sukham, Bliss; of brahma-samsparsam, contact with Brahman-the Bliss that is in touch [In touch with, i.e. identified with, homogeneous with, in essential oneness with.] with the supreme Brahman. Now is being shown that result of Yoga which is the realization of identity with Brahman and which is the cause of the extinction of the whole mundane existence . [Liberation is conceived of in two ways-total cessation of sorrows, and attainment of unsurpassable Bliss.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
6.28 Thus, in the above - said manner, devoting himself to the Yoga of the self and by that means expelling all old impurities, the Yogin attains 'perfect', i.e., boundless felicity at all times easily, without stress and strain. The felicity is born of the contact with the Brahman (Atman), meaning the joy of experience of the Brahman. Now Sri Krsna says that the mature stage of Yoga consists of four degrees, as stated in the succeeding verses from 29th to 32nd.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
6.26-28 Yatah etc. upto adhigacchati. From whatever objects the mind returns, immediately after its return, let him ieten it on the Self. Otherwise, being not firmly established [in the Self], the mind would again take hold of nothing but the sense-objects. But the Bliss, assuming the roll of an agent (or subject, kartv-bhuta) comes to the object (karmabhuta), viz., the man-of-Yoga, whose mind remains ite in the Self. By this way alone the men-of-Yoga attain the Brahman easily and not by [any] difficult Yoga etc. This is the idea [here].
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
6.28 The Yogi, always engaging the mind thus (in the practice of Yoga), freed from sins, easily enjoys the Infinite Bliss of contact with Brahman (the Eternal).
Commentary

6.28 युञ्जन् practising Yoga? एवम् thus? सदा always? आत्मानम् the self? योगी Yogi? विगतकल्मषः freed from sin? सुखेन easily? ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शम् caused by contact with Brahman? अत्यन्तम् infinite? सुखम् bliss? अश्नुते enjoys.Commentary By Yogic practices such as the withdrawal of the senses? concentration and meditation he loses contact with the objects of the senses and comes into contact with Brahman or the immortal Self within and thus enjoys the Infinite Bliss of Brahman.Sensual pleasures are transitory or fleeting but the bliss of Brahman is uninterrupted? undecaying and everlasting. That is the reason why one should attempt to realise the Self within.The Yogi removes the obstacles that stand in the way of obtaining union with the Lord and thus always keeps the mind steady in the Self.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
6.28 By concentrating his mind constantly thus, the taintless yogi easily attains the absolute Bliss of contact with Brahman.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
6.28 Thus, free from sin, abiding always in the Eternal, the saint enjoys without effort the Bliss which flows from realisation of the Infinite.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 6.15 BG 8.14 BG 18.58 SB 3.25.25 SB 11.14.21 SB 11.29.6 CC Madhya 8.265 CC Madhya 22.107 CC Antya 20.65 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.21Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Constantly engaged thus, free from contamination, the yogi easily attains contact with the Supreme — supreme happiness.
Practical Applications
  • Trust that consistency, not intensity, brings contact.
  • Reduce contamination (asat-saṅga, vikarma) as practice ground.
  • Don't strain — easy contact follows from steady practice.
Reflection Questions
  • What contamination has been hardest to reduce?
  • Where am I straining when I should be steady?
Analogy

A copper vessel left long in the Ganges turns golden — slowly, without striving, by the river's constant touch. The constantly engaged yogī is that copper. The contact with Brahman, brahma-saṁsparśam, does the alchemy. The yogī does not have to scrub at himself; he has only to stay in the river.

Stories
Ambarīṣa Mahārāja's Daily Round

King Ambarīṣa, the great devotee described in Bhāgavatam 9.4, kept his mind, words, body, and senses constantly engaged: mind on Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, voice in describing His glories, hands in cleaning His temple, ears in hearing of Him, eyes in seeing the deity, body in embracing devotees, and so on through every faculty.

The Bhāgavatam concludes that by this yuñjan evam sadā discipline he attained brahma-saṁsparśam — constant touch with the Supreme — to such a degree that even the brāhmaṇa Durvāsā, attacking him in pride, was reduced to begging his forgiveness. The contamination of pride could not hold against a man already in contact.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 6