Sanskrit
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् । प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ॥
rājavidyā rājaguhyaṃ pavitram idam uttamam pratyakṣāvagamaṃ dharmyaṃ susukhaṃ kartum avyayam
Translation
Kingly Science, kingly Secret, supreme Purifier, this; intuitional, according to righteousness, very easy to perform, imperishable.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
This verse supplies the chapter’s own title in miniature — “kingly science, kingly secret” (rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyam) — language picked up almost verbatim in the colophon at the chapter’s close. Three claims are stacked here: it’s directly perceptible (pratyakṣāvagamam) rather than requiring blind acceptance on authority, it’s easy to practice, and it doesn’t decay (avyayam) — an implicit contrast with the ritual-based religion this chapter will criticize later, in verses 20-21.