|| 8.21 ||
अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम्। यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम।।
avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
Word by Word
avyaktāḥ (unmanifested) akṣaraḥ (indestructible) iti (thus) uktaḥ (is called) tam (that) āhuḥ (is known) paramām (the ultimate) gatim (destination) yam (which) prāpya (achieving) na (never) nivartante (they come back) tat (that) dhāma (abode) paramam (supreme) mama (My)
Translation
That which the Vedantists describe as unmanifest and infallible, that which is known as the supreme destination, that place from which, having attained it, one never returns—that is My supreme abode.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa describes His supreme abode. This eternal realm is called ‘Akṣara’, meaning indestructible. It is known as the ‘paramāṁ gatim’, the ultimate destination of human life. Kṛṣṇa declares that once a person reaches this place, they never return to the world of suffering.
“Tad dhāma paramaṁ mama”—that is My supreme home. This is not a void or a state of non-existence; it is a ‘Dhāma’, a living environment where the soul interacts with God in its original, pure form. It is the place of absolute safety and permanent joy. It is the end of the long journey of rebirth.
Arjuna is being shown the ‘finish line’. Kṛṣṇa is motivating him by revealing the magnificent prize that awaits the successful seeker. By focusing on this supreme destination, the temporary terrors of the battlefield lose their power to disturb Arjuna’s heart. He is aiming for eternity.