VERSE 1
किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं पुरुषोत्तम ।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥

arjuna uvaca
kim tad brahma kim adhyatmam
kim karma purusottama
adhibhutam ca kim proktam
adhidaivam kim ucyate

SYNONYMS
arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; kim—what; tat—that; brahma—Brahman; kim—what; adhyātmam—the self; kim—what; karma—fruitive activities; puruṣottama—O Supreme Person; adhibhūtam—the material manifestation; ca—and; kim—what; proktam—is called; adhidaivam—the demigods; kim—what; ucyate—is called.

TRANSLATION
Arjuna inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.

VERSE 2
अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन ।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥

adhiyajnah katham ko ‘tra
dehe ‘smin madhusudana
prayana-kale ca katham
jneyo ‘si niyatatmabhih

SYNONYMS
adhiyajñaḥ—the Lord of sacrifice; katham—how; kaḥ—who; atra—here; dehe—in the body; asmin—in this; madhusūdana—O Madhusūdana; prayāṇa-kāle—at the time of death; ca—and; katham—how; jñeyaḥ—be known; asi—You can; niyata-ātmabhiḥ—by the self-controlled.

TRANSLATION
How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusūdana? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death?

VERSE 3
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते ।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥

sri-bhagavan uvaca
aksaram brahma paramam
svabhavo ‘dhyatmam ucyate
bhuta-bhavodbhava-karo
visargah karma-samjnitah

SYNONYMS
śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; akṣaram—indestructible; brahma—Brahman; paramam—transcendental; svabhāvaḥ—eternal nature; adhyātmam—the self; ucyate—is called; bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ—action producing the material bodies of the living entities; visargaḥ—creation; karma—fruitive activities; saṁjñitaḥ—is called.

TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called karma, or fruitive activities.

VERSE 4
अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्‌ ।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

adhibhutam ksaro bhavah
purusas cadhidaivatam
adhiyajno ‘ham evatra
dehe deha-bhrtam vara

SYNONYMS
adhibhūtam—the physical manifestation; kṣaraḥ—constantly changing; bhāvaḥ—nature; puruṣaḥ—the universal form; ca—and; adhidaivatam—including all demigods like the sun and moon; adhiyajñaḥ—the Supersoul; aham—I (Kṛṣṇa); eva—certainly; atra—in this; dehe—body; deha-bhṛtām—of the embodied; vara—the Supreme.

TRANSLATION
Physical nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.