CHAPTER 8

Verse 1

arjuna uvāca
kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ
kiṁ karma puruṣottama
adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam
adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate

Arjuna inquired: O Puruṣottama, what is brahma (Spiritual Reality)? What is adhyātma (the pure self)? What is karma (the principle of action)? What is adhibhūta (the basis of this material manifestation)? And what is adhidaiva (the principle underlying the demigods)?

Verse 2

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko ’tra
dehe ’smin madhusūdana
prayāṇa-kāle ca kathaṁ
jñeyo ’si niyatātmabhiḥ

O Madhusūdana, who is adhiyajñaḥ, the presiding deity of sacrifice? How does He dwell within the body? And by what means are You to be known at the time of death by persons whose mind is controlled?

Verse 3

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ
svabhāvo ’dhyātmam ucyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo
visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ

Śrī Bhagavān said: Indeed the eternal, indestructible Supreme Truth is known as brahma. The living entity in his pure constitutional state is known as adhyātma, and the process of transmigrating through successive species of life, whereby the living entity undergoes birth, growth and so forth, is known as karma.

Verse 4

adhibhūtaṁ kṣaro bhāvaḥ
puruṣaś cādhidaivatam
adhiyajño ’ham evātra
dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara

O Arjuna, best among embodied beings, all that is perishable is called adhibhūtaṁ, and the universal form is known as adhidaiva, the presiding Lord of all demigods. I alone am adhiyajña, situated in the body as Antaryāmī, the indwelling witness, and I inspire a person to engage in activities such as sacrifice.

Verse 5

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

Whoever at the time of death leaves his body while remembering Me alone surely attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

Verse 6

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

Whatever one remembers at the time of giving up the material body, O son of Kuntī, one is sure to attain that same state again, due to being always absorbed in such contemplation.

Verse 7

tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
mām anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ

Therefore, you should always remember Me and fight. With your mind and intellect devoted to Me, you will attain Me without a doubt.

Verse 8

abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
cetasā nānya-gāminā
paramaṁ puruṣaṁ divyaṁ
yāti pārthānucintayan

O Pārtha, by engaging in this yoga practice of constantly contemplating the Supreme Divine Person and not permitting the mind to wander elsewhere, one will surely attain Me.

Verse 9-10

kaviṁ purāṇam anuśāsitāram
aṇor aṇīyāṁsam anusmared yaḥ
sarvasya dhātāram acintya-rūpam
āditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt

One should remember that Supreme Person, who is all-knowing and eternal, who is the Supreme Controller, whose existence is more subtle than the most subtle, who is the creator of everyone, whose form is inconceivable, who is self-effulgent like the sun, and who is transcendental to this material nature. One who, at the time of death, fully fixes his life-energy between his eyebrows on the strength of yoga and concentrates upon Him with undeviating attention and full devotion, certainly attains Him.

Verse 11

yad akṣaraṁ veda-vido vadanti
viśanti yad yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ
yad icchanto brahma-caryaṁ caranti
tat te padaṁ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣye

I will now tell you in summary about the ultimate goal, which those who are learned in the Vedas describe as imperishable. Those in the renounced order who are free from all material desires enter there, as well as those desirous of attaining that state and who thus observe the vow of celibacy.

Verse 12-13

sarva-dvārāṇi saṁyamya
mano hṛdi nirudhya ca
mūrdhny ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam
āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām

oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma
vyāharan mām anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim

Closing all the outlets of the senses from their sense objects, confining the mind within the heart, fixing the life-energy between the eyebrows, being deeply absorbed in samādhi upon the Supersoul through the practice of constant yoga, and repeating the syllable oṁ – which is a sound manifestation of the Supreme Person – the yogī attains the supreme destination, giving up his body while meditating on Me.

Verse 14

ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ
yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ
tasyāhaṁ su-labhaḥ pārtha
nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ

O Pārtha, for a yogī engaged in constant daily remembrance of Me, devoid of other thoughts, I am easily attainable.

Verse 15

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

The great souls, having attained Me, do not take another temporary birth, which is the source of misery, for they have attained the highest perfection.

Verse 16

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ’rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

O Arjuna, all planets in this universe up to the planet of Lord Brahmā are places of repeated birth and death, but one who attains Me, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.

Verse 17

sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ
rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ
te ’ho-rātra-vido janāḥ

Those who know the truth about Brahmā’s day and night understand that his day lasts for one thousand cycles of the four yugas, and that his night is also of the same duration.

Verse 18

avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ
prabhavanty ahar-āgame
rātry-āgame pralīyante
tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake

The material bodies of the soul, who is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable, are known to be perishable. Therefore, O Arjuna, fight.

Verse 19

bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame

O Pārtha, the hosts of living entities who come into being at the approach of Brahmā’s day are again dissolved upon the arrival of his night. They repeatedly manifest at the approach of Brahmā’s day, being under superior control.

Verse 20

paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati

Yet superior to the previously mentioned unmanifest state, there exists another supernatural unmanifest nature, which is without beginning and which is not destroyed, even at the time of the great dissolution when all life-forms of this world are annihilated.

Verse 21

avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas
tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
yaṁ prāpya na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

That eternal unmanifest nature is known as the imperishable Truth (akṣara) and it is the supreme destination. Having attained that destination, which is My eternal abode and My eternal nature, the living beings never return to this world of birth and death.

Verse 22

O Pārtha, that Supreme Person is solely attainable through unalloyed devotion. All living beings are situated within Him, and by Him, this entire universe is pervaded.

Verse 23

yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim
āvṛttiṁ caiva yoginaḥ
prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ
vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha

O best of the dynasty of Bharata, I shall now explain the different paths (protected by the presiding deities of time) by which yogīs who pass from this world either return or never return.

Verses 24

agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti
brahma brahma-vido janāḥ

Those who know the Supreme Absolute Reality and who depart from this world during the influence of the presiding deities of fire, light, auspicious days, the fortnight of the waxing moon and the six months of the sun’s northern course, attain the realm of the Supreme Absolute (brahma).

Verse 25

dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir
yogī prāpya nivartate

The karma-yogī who departs by the path of those demigods who preside over the times of smoke, the night, the dark half of the month and the six months of the sun’s southern course, attains the heavenly planets, such as the moon. After enjoying celestial pleasures there, he again returns to this material world.

Verse 26

śukla-kṛṣṇe gatī hy ete
jagataḥ śāśvate mate
ekayā yāty anāvṛttim
anyayāvartate punaḥ

In departing from this world, only two paths, the bright (śukla) and the dark (kṛṣṇa), are considered to be eternal. Passing through the bright path (śukla-pakṣa), one attains liberation, and passing through the dark path (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa), one returns to this world.

Verse 27

naite sṛtī pārtha jānan
yogī muhyati kaścana
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
yoga-yukto bhavārjuna

O Pārtha, yogīs who have knowledge of these two paths are never bewildered. Therefore, O Arjuna, always remain fixed in yoga.

Verse 28

“Iti Srimad Bhagavad Gitasu Upanishatsu Brahma Vidyayaam Yogashastre, Sri Krsna Arjuna Samvāde Tāraka-Brahma Yoga Nāma Ashtamodhyāyaha”