Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 8

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ kō'tra dēhē'sminmadhusūdana । prayāṇakālē cha kathaṃ jñēyō'si niyatātmabhiḥ ॥2॥

Who 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?

śrī bhagavānuvācha

akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvō'dhyātmamuchyatē । bhūtabhāvōdbhavakaraḥ visargaḥ karmasañjñitaḥ ॥3

The 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."

adhibhūtaṃ kṣarō bhāvaḥ puruṣaśchādhidaivatam । adhiyajñō'hamēvātra dēhē dēhabhṛtāṃ vara ॥4॥

Adhibhuta—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.

antakālē cha māmēva smaranmuktvā kalēvaram । yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ ॥5॥

And 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.

yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyantē kalēvaram । taṃ tamēvaiti kauntēya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ॥6॥

Whoever 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.

tasmātsarvēṣu kālēṣu māmanusmara yudhya cha । mayyarpitamanōbuddhiḥ māmēvaiṣyasyasaṃśayam ॥7॥

Therefore, at all times, remember Me only and fight. With your mind and intellect fixed on Me, you will undoubtedly come to Me alone.

abhyāsayōgayuktēna chētasā nānyagāminā । paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānuchintayan ॥8॥

With 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.

kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāram aṇōraṇīyāṃsamanusmarēdyaḥ । sarvasya dhātāramachintyarūpaṃ ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ॥9॥

Whosoever 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.

prayāṇakālē manasā'chalēna bhaktyā yuktō yōgabalēna chaiva । bhruvōrmadhyē prāṇamāvēśya samyak sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam ॥10॥

At 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.

yadakṣaraṃ vēdavidō vadanti viśanti yadyatayō vītarāgāḥ । yadichChantō brahmacharyaṃ charanti tattē padaṃ saṅgrahēṇa pravakṣyē ॥11॥

That 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.

sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya manō hṛdi nirudhya cha । mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam āsthitō yōgadhāraṇām ॥12॥

Having closed all the gates, confined the mind in the heart, and fixed the life-breath in the head, engage in the practice of concentration.

ōmityēkākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran । yaḥ prayāti tyajandēhaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ॥13॥

Uttering the one-syllabled Om, the Brahman, and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving the body, attains the Supreme Goal.

ananyachētāḥ satataṃ yō māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ । tasyāhaṃ sulabhaḥ pārtha nityayuktasya yōginaḥ ॥14॥

I am easily attainable by that ever-steadfast yogi who constantly and daily remembers me for a long time, not thinking of anything else with a single-minded or one-pointed focus, O Partha.

māmupētya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam । nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ॥15॥

Having attained Me, these great souls do not take birth again here—a place of pain and impermanence—but have reached the highest perfection of liberation.

ābrahmabhuvanāllōkāḥ punarāvartinō'rjuna । māmupētya tu kauntēya punarjanma na vidyatē ॥16॥

All the worlds, including the world of Brahma, are subject to return again, O Arjuna; but he who reaches Me, O son of Kunti, has no rebirth.

sahasrayugaparyantam aharyadbrahmaṇō viduḥ । rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ tē'hōrātravidō janāḥ ॥17॥

Those who know the day of Brahma, which lasts a thousand Yugas, and the night, which also lasts a thousand Yugas, know day and night.

avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgamē । rātryāgamē pralīyantē tatraivāvyaktasañjñakē ॥18॥

From the Unmanifested, all the manifested worlds proceed upon the arrival of the 'day'; upon the arrival of the 'night', they dissolve indeed into that which is known as the Unmanifested.

bhūtagrāmaḥ sa ēvāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyatē । rātryāgamē'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgamē ॥19॥

This same multitude of beings, being born again and again, helplessly dissolves, O Arjuna, into the Unmanifested at the coming of the night and comes forth at the coming of the day.

parastasmāttu bhāvō'nyaḥ avyaktō'vyaktātsanātanaḥ । yaḥ sa sarvēṣu bhūtēṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ॥20॥

But verily, there exists higher than this Unmanifested, another Unmanifested Eternal, which is not destroyed even when all beings are destroyed.

avyaktō'kṣara ityuktaḥ tamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim । yaṃ prāpya na nivartantē taddhāma paramaṃ mama ॥21॥

What is known as the Unmanifested and the Imperishable, That is said to be the highest goal. Those who reach It do not return (to this Samsara). That is My supreme abode (place or state).

puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā । yasyāntaḥ sthāni bhūtāni yēna sarvamidaṃ tatam ॥22॥

That highest Purusha, O Arjuna, is attainable by unswerving devotion to Him alone, within Whom all beings dwell and by Whom all this is pervaded.

yatra kālē tvanāvṛttim āvṛttiṃ chaiva yōginaḥ । prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ॥23॥

Now I will tell you, O chief of the Bharatas, the times of departure at which the Yogis will return or not return.

agnirjyōtirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam । tatra prayātā gachChanti brahma brahmavidō janāḥ ॥24॥

Fire, light, daytime, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern path of the sun (the northern solstice) departing, then men who know Brahman go to Brahman.

dhūmō rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam । tatra chāndramasaṃ jyōtiḥ yōgī prāpya nivartatē ॥25॥

Attaining the lunar light through smoke, night time, the dark fortnight, and the six months of the southern path of the sun (the southern solstice), the yogi returns.

śuklakṛṣṇē gatī hyētē jagataḥ śāśvatē matē । ēkayā yātyanāvṛttim anyayā''vartatē punaḥ ॥26॥

The bright and dark paths of the world are thought to be eternal; one leads to no return, and the other leads to return.

naitē sṛtī pārtha jānan yōgī muhyati kaśchana । tasmātsarvēṣu kālēṣu yōgayuktō bhavārjuna ॥27॥

Knowing these paths, O Arjuna, no yogi is deluded; therefore, at all times, be steadfast in yoga.

vēdēṣu yajñēṣu tapassu chaiva dānēṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam । atyēti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā yōgī paraṃ sthānamupaiti chādyam ॥28॥

Whatever fruit of merit is declared (in the scriptures) to accrue from (the study of) the Vedas, (the performance of) sacrifices, (the practice of) austerities, and gifts, beyond all this goes the Yogi, having known this; and he attains to the Supreme, Primeval (first or ancient) Abode.

॥ ōṃ tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yōgaśāstrē śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvādē akṣaraparabrahmayōgō nāma aṣṭamō'dhyāyaḥ ॥8

Browse Related Categories: