Bhagavad Gita · 8.1 · Path of the Eternal God·1 of 28
अर्जुन उवाच किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम।अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥
arjuna uvācha kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma
puruṣhottama adhibhūtaṁ cha kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim uchyate
Sanskrit recitation
What you remember at the end · 8.1–8.13 · Teaching
Translation
Arjuna said, "What is Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is action, O best among men? What is Adhibhuta declared to be? And, what is Adhidaiva said to be?"
Meaning
In the last two verses of the seventh chapter Lord Krishna had used certain philosophical and technical terms such as Adhyatma, Adhibhuta, Adhidaiva and Adhiyajna. Arjuna does not understand the meaning of these terms. So he proceeds to ask the Lord the above questions for their elucidation. Lord Krishna gives the answers succinctly to the above questions in their order.Some treat this chapter as Abhyasa Yoga because in this chapter verses 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 and 14 deal with spiritual practices. Verse 7 treats of Karma and Bhakti Yoga combined (giving the hands to the service of humanity or society and fixing the mind on the Lord). Verse 8 deals with Abhyasa Yoga. Verses 10, 12 and 13 treat of Hatha Yoga (how to raise the lifeforce t the Ajna Chakra and the Sahasrara and the Brahmarandhra). Verse 14 treats of the easy Yoga of constant Namasmarana or remembering the names of the Lord constantly. This alone will help the spiritual aspirant to approach the Lord easily.The nature of Brahman, the individual Self (Adhyatma), the nature of action, the nature of the objective universe or phenomena (Adhibhuta), knowledge of the shining ones (Adhidaiva), and the secret of sacrifice (Adhiyajna) are described in this discourse. The perfect sage will have perfect knowledge
After Swami Sivananda
What you remember at the end· 8.1–8.13→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
8.1Arjuna said, "What is Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is action, O best among men? What is Adhibhuta declared to be? And, what is Adhidaiva said to be?"
- 8.2Who and how is Adhiyajna here in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how, at the time of death, are You to be known by the self-controlled?
- 8.3The Blessed Lord said, "Brahman is the Imperishable, the Supreme; its essential nature is called Self-knowledge; the offering (to the gods) that causes the existence and manifestation of beings and sustains them is called action."
- 8.4Adhibhuta—knowledge of the elements—pertains to My perishable nature, and the Purusha, or the Soul, is the Adhidaiva; I alone am the Adhiyajna here in this body, O best among the embodied.
- 8.5And whoever, leaving their body, goes forth remembering Me alone at the time of death, they will attain My Being; there is no doubt about this.
- 8.6Whoever at the end leaves the body, thinking of any being, to that being only does he go, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), due to his constant thought of that being.
- 8.7Therefore, at all times, remember Me only and fight. With your mind and intellect fixed on Me, you will undoubtedly come to Me alone.
- 8.8With the mind not moving towards any other thing, made steadfast through the practice of habitual meditation, and constantly meditating, one goes to the Supreme Person, the Resplendent, O Arjuna.
- 8.9Whosoever meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler of the whole world, minuter than an atom, the supporter of all, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance.
- 8.10At the time of death, with an unwavering mind, endowed with devotion, by the power of Yoga, fixing the whole life-breath in the middle of the two eyebrows, he reaches that resplendent Supreme Person.
- 8.11That which is declared to be Imperishable by those who know the Vedas, that which the self-controlled (ascetics or Sannyasins) and passion-free enter, that goal, desiring which celibacy is practised, I will declare to thee in brief.
- 8.12Having closed all the gates, confined the mind in the heart, and fixed the life-breath in the head, engage in the practice of concentration.
- 8.13Uttering the one-syllabled Om, the Brahman, and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving the body, attains the Supreme Goal.
Word-by-word→
- cha
- and
- kim
- what
- tat
- that
- karma
- the principle of karma
- brahma
- Brahman
- proktam
- is called
- uchyate
- is called
- adhidaivam
- the Lord of the celestial gods
- adhyātmam
- the individual soul
- adhibhūtam
- the material manifestation
- puruṣha-uttama
- Shree Krishna, the Supreme Divine Personality
- arjunaḥ uvācha
- Arjun said
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