Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingश्री भगवानुवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
akṣharaṁ brahma paramaṁ svabhāvo ’dhyātmam uchyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo visargaḥ karma-sanjñitaḥ
Anuṣṭubh(!!) irregular in source
Translation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaThe Blessed Lord said, "The Immutable is the supreme Brahman; selfhood is said to be the entity present in the individual plane. By action is meant the offerings that bring about the origin of existence of things."
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
श्रीभगवान् ने कहा -- परम अक्षर (अविनाशी) तत्त्व ब्रह्म है; स्वभाव (अपना स्वरूप) अध्यात्म कहा जाता है; भूतों के भावों को उत्पन्न करने वाला विसर्ग (यज्ञ, प्रेरक बल) कर्म नाम से जाना जाता है।।
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from Vaamshiiश्री भ उ
अक् षरम् ब्रह्म परमम् (!!)
स्वभावोऽ ध्यात् ममुच् यते
भूत भावोद् भवकरः (!!)
विसर् ग% कर् म सञ् ज्ञितः
॥ ३ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →
Word by word
padārthaśhrī-bhagavān uvāchathe Blessed Lord said
akṣharamindestructible
brahmaBrahman
paramamthe Supreme
svabhāvaḥnature
adhyātmamone’s own self
uchyateis called
bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥActions pertaining to the material personality of living beings, and its development
visargaḥcreation
karmafruitive activities
sanjñitaḥare called
Themes
from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad GītāMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnA8.3What is Brahman? What is adhyātma? What is karma?
The Blessed Lord said, "The Immutable is the supreme Brahman; selfhood is said to be the entity present in the individual plane. By action is meant the offerings that bring about the origin of existence of things."
The verse itself, in Swami Gambhīrānanda's rendering, is the answer. For reasoned solutions to knotty verses, browse the Q&A index.