ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः ।तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी ॥
tataḥ padaṃ tat parimārgitavyaṃ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ |tam eva cādyaṃ puruṣaṃ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī ||
- ततः · tataḥ
- then
- पदम् · padam
- the state, abode
- तत् · tat
- that
- परिमार्गितव्यम् · parimārgitavyam
- should be sought
- यस्मिन् · yasmin
- in which
- गताः · gatāḥ
- having gone
- न निवर्तन्ति · na nivartanti
- do not return
- भूयः · bhūyaḥ
- again
- तम् · tam
- to him
- आद्यम् · ādyam
- primal, first
- पुरुषम् · puruṣam
- the Person
- प्रपद्ये · prapadye
- I take refuge
- यतः · yataḥ
- from whom
- प्रवृत्तिः · pravṛttiḥ
- activity, creation
- प्रसृता · prasṛtā
- streamed forth
- पुराणी · purāṇī
- ancient
“…then that state must be sought from which there is no return — and I take refuge in that primal Person from whom the ancient stream of creation flowed.”
— Original plain-language translation
Cutting is only half the work; the freed seeker must walk toward the goal — the no-return abode described in 8.21. Krishna even voices the refuge-prayer himself, modeling surrender. Detachment clears the ground; refuge gives the journey its direction.
— Reader's notes (original)