Sacred Scripture / Chapter 8
28 published verses from Srimad Bhagavad Gita (अक्षर ब्रह्मयोगः). The Yoga of Akshara Brahma Yoga. Arjuna asks Krishna to explain Brahman, adhyatma, karma, adhibhuta, adhidaiva and adhiyajna, and how He is known at departure. Krishna defines these terms and connects final remembrance with the orientation cultivated throughout life. He joins remembrance to Arjuna’s duty, describes traditional yogic concentration and emphasizes continual devotion. Attainment of Krishna is contrasted with return even from exalted worlds. Brahma’s cosmic day and night frame repeated manifestation and dissolution, beyond which an eternal imperishable reality is distinguished. Krishna then explains the bright and dark paths, concluding that the yogi should remain established in yoga at all times. Knowledge of this teaching leads beyond limited meritorious rewards to the supreme primal abode.
Explore original Sanskrit, word-by-word padartha, trilingual translations, commentary, reflections, and modern life applications.
28 verses
Verse 8.1
kiṃ tadbrahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣottama | adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ proktamadhidaivaṃ kimucyate ||1||
O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is adhyatma? What is karma? What is called adhibhuta, and what is termed adhidaiva?
Verse 8.2
adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ ko'tra dehe'sminmadhusūdana | prayāṇakāle ca kathaṃ jñeyo'si niyatātmabhiḥ ||2||
O Madhusudana, who is adhiyajna here, and how is that presence in this body? How are You to be known at the time of departure by those who have mastered themselves?
Verse 8.3
akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo'dhyātmamucyate | bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ ||3||
The supreme imperishable is Brahman; one's own nature is called adhyatma. The outgoing offering that brings forth the existence of beings is named karma.
Verse 8.4
adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam | adhiyajño'hamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ||4||
Adhibhuta is perishable existence; the Purusha is adhidaiva. O best of embodied beings, I Myself am adhiyajna here in this body.
Verse 8.5
antakāle ca māmeva smaranmuktvā kalevaram | yaḥ prayāti sa madbhāvaṃ yāti nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ ||5||
Whoever departs after leaving the body, remembering Me alone at the final moment, attains My state; there is no doubt about this.
Verse 8.6
yaṃ yaṃ vāpi smaranbhāvaṃ tyajatyante kalevaram | taṃ tamevaiti kaunteya sadā tadbhāvabhāvitaḥ ||6||
O son of Kunti, whatever state a person remembers when leaving the body at the end, that very state is attained, having always been formed by its contemplation.
Verse 8.7
tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu māmanusmara yudhya ca | mayyarpitamanobuddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṃśayam ||7||
Therefore remember Me at all times and fight. With your mind and intellect offered to Me, you will surely come to Me.
Verse 8.8
abhyāsayogayuktena cetasā nānyagāminā | paramaṃ puruṣaṃ divyaṃ yāti pārthānucintayan ||8||
O Partha, contemplating with a mind joined to the yoga of repeated practice and not wandering elsewhere, one reaches the supreme divine Purusha.
Verse 8.9
kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāramaṇoraṇīyāṃsamanusmaredyaḥ | sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpamādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||9||
One who remembers the all-knowing, ancient ruler, subtler than the subtle, the sustainer of all, whose form is beyond thought, radiant like the sun and beyond darkness—
Verse 8.10
prayāṇakāle manasācalena bhaktyā yukto yogabalena caiva | bhruvormadhye prāṇamāveśya samyak sa taṃ paraṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam ||10||
At the time of departure, with an unwavering mind, devotion and the strength of yoga, properly placing the life-force between the brows, that person reaches the supreme divine Purusha.
Verse 8.11
yadakṣaraṃ vedavido vadanti viśanti yadyatayo vītarāgāḥ | yadicchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti tatte padaṃ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣye ||11||
I will briefly explain to you that goal which knowers of the Vedas call imperishable, which ascetics free from attachment enter, and desiring which they practice brahmacharya.
Verse 8.12
sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca | mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām ||12||
Restraining all the sense-gates, holding the mind in the heart, placing one's life-force in the head and established in yogic concentration—
Verse 8.13
omityekākṣaraṃ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran | yaḥ prayāti tyajandehaṃ sa yāti paramāṃ gatim ||13||
Uttering Om, the single syllable signifying Brahman, and remembering Me, whoever departs while leaving the body reaches the supreme destination.
Verse 8.14
ananyacetāḥ satataṃ yo māṃ smarati nityaśaḥ | tasyāhaṃ sulabhaḥ pārtha nityayuktasya yoginaḥ ||14||
O Partha, I am readily accessible to the yogi who is always united with Me and remembers Me continually with undivided attention.
Verse 8.15
māmupetya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam | nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ||15||
Having reached Me and attained supreme perfection, great souls do not undergo rebirth, which is impermanent and an abode of suffering.
Verse 8.16
ā brahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino'rjuna | māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ||16||
O Arjuna, all worlds up to Brahma's world are subject to return. But, O son of Kunti, after reaching Me there is no rebirth.
Verse 8.17
sahasrayugaparyantamaharyadbrahmaṇo viduḥ | rātriṃ yugasahasrāntāṃ te'horātravido janāḥ ||17||
Those who know that Brahma's day lasts a thousand yugas and his night a thousand yugas understand this day and night.
Verse 8.18
avyaktādvyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavantyaharāgame | rātryāgame pralīyante tatraivāvyaktasaṃjñake ||18||
At the coming of the day, all manifestations arise from the unmanifest; at the coming of the night, they dissolve into that very state called unmanifest.
Verse 8.19
bhūtagrāmaḥ sa evāyaṃ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate | rātryāgame'vaśaḥ pārtha prabhavatyaharāgame ||19||
O Partha, this same multitude of beings repeatedly comes into existence and dissolves helplessly at the coming of the night, arising again at the coming of the day.
Verse 8.20
parastasmāttu bhāvo'nyo'vyakto'vyaktātsanātanaḥ | yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati ||20||
But beyond that unmanifest is another eternal, unmanifest reality, which does not perish when all beings perish.
Verse 8.21
avyakto'kṣara ityuktastamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim | yaṃ prāpya na nivartante taddhāma paramaṃ mama ||21||
That is called unmanifest and imperishable, and is spoken of as the supreme destination. Having reached it, one does not return; that is My supreme abode.
Verse 8.22
puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā | yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṃ tatam ||22||
O Partha, that supreme Purusha, within whom all beings dwell and by whom all this is pervaded, is attained through undivided devotion.
Verse 8.23
yatra kāle tvanāvṛttimāvṛttiṃ caiva yoginaḥ | prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha ||23||
O best of the Bharatas, I will explain the time or path by which departing yogis attain nonreturn, and that by which they return.
Verse 8.24
agnirjyotirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam | tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ ||24||
Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight and the six months of the sun's northern course: departing by this path, knowers of Brahman attain Brahman.
Verse 8.25
dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam | tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotiryogī prāpya nivartate ||25||
Smoke, night, the dark fortnight and the six months of the sun's southern course: departing by this path, the yogi reaches the lunar light and then returns.
Verse 8.26
śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate | ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayāvartate punaḥ ||26||
These bright and dark paths are regarded as the world's enduring two courses. By one, a person reaches nonreturn; by the other, one returns again.
Verse 8.27
naite sṛtī pārtha jānanyogī muhyati kaścana | tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna ||27||
O Partha, no yogi who knows these two courses is deluded. Therefore, Arjuna, remain established in yoga at all times.
Verse 8.28
vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva dāneṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam | atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānamupaiti cādyam ||28||
Knowing this, the yogi goes beyond all the meritorious fruits promised for Vedic study, sacrifices, austerities and giving, and reaches the supreme, primal abode.
