THE EIGHTH CHAPTER
Arjun Uvaach: Arjuna asked, “O Purushottama! What is Brahma? What is spirituality? What is karma? And more importantly, what are Adhibhoota and AdhiDev? O Madhusudana! What is Adhi Yagya? How do those who have mastered their minds and senses remember you at the time of death?”
Lord Krishna replied, "O Arjuna! The all-pervading, imperishable reality that liberates beings from the cycle of birth and death is called Brahma. The knowledge of this reality is Adhyatma Vidya, my Nirguna Brahmavidya, and the Triguna Dharma from which the world arises is known as Karma. O Arjuna! The perishable physical world, composed of the five elements, is Adhibhoota, while the living entity, Purusha, is Adhi-Dev. I am the master of all sacrifices, omnipotent and omnipresent within this body. One who remembers my name at the time of death attains my divine form.
O son of Kunti! A person becomes one with whatever they remember at the time of death. Those who die remembering the gods go to them; those fixated on material things become ghosts attached to those things; those who die with thoughts of family linger as spirits in their relatives’ homes.
Remember me with every breath so that when you focus your mind and intellect on me, you will undoubtedly find me. The being who restrains the mind completely and constantly meditates on my name attains my blissful form.
At life’s end, a devotee with unwavering focus sees me as the innermost self, the teacher of all, eternal, most subtle, caretaker of all, the light beyond
darkness, and merges into my luminous bliss.
Just as ‘Om’ is exalted in the Vedas, so too am I superior to all deities. By controlling the mind and senses and remembering me with devotion, one attains supreme bliss.
O Partha! Those who forsake all other deities and focus solely on me will soon be united with me. My beloved devotees who reach this ultimate joy do not return to this transient world of birth and death.
All realms up to Brahma Loka are within Maya’s domain; beings there are subject to return. However, those who reach my eternal abode beyond Maya do not return to this sorrowful world.
The all-pervading Brahma pervades Maya and countless universes. This Maya creates worlds by my will; its existence spans eons and is seen as a single day by the enlightened. By that same will, Maya brings about destruction over eons, perceived as a night by the wise. Thus do my disciples comprehend day and night.
With Maya’s daybreak, all beings emerge from its form into existence. At nightfall, they are reabsorbed into Maya."
"O son of Kunti! All beings, entangled in the cycle of karma, emerge repeatedly with the dawn of Maya’s day and are absorbed back into its form at night, only to be reborn with the next daybreak. The unseen, eternal Brahma, transcending Maya, remains unscathed even when the entire cosmos dissolves. The wise refer to this eternal, formless essence as my supreme abode. One who reaches this ultimate destination does not return to this transient world. O Partha! I am omnipresent; all beings reside within Me. I have manifested all of creation; thus, those who recognize Me
as the sovereign and worship Me exclusively—forsaking all deities and chanting My name—attain My supreme abode.
O Arjuna! When yogis liberate themselves from the cycle of birth and death, I shall reveal to you the auspicious times for their departure. Yogis who leave their bodies during the bright fortnight of Uttarayana (the northward path of the sun) over a six-month period do not return after reaching Brahma. Conversely, those who depart during Dakshinayana (the southward path of the sun) in the dark fortnight return to this mortal realm after visiting Chandraloka.
However, I do not endorse this belief because when one surrenders their soul, mind, and wealth to Me, they attain yogic status. Such a yogi, wholly devoted to Me, has their life and death—and joy and sorrow—in My hands. I can bestow My bliss upon My beloved yogi whenever I wish, regardless of
the lunar phase.
O son of Kunti! The two paths described are based on the Triguna scriptures and are views held by sages and seers. They do not align with My Nirguna teachings; thus, neither I nor My enlightened followers subscribe to these dual paths.
O Arjuna! Become a yogi yourself; heed My words. Chant My name with every breath. By studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices like Ashvamedha, practicing austerities like Krishnendrayana, or donating items like land or gold—all fruits mentioned in the scriptures are transient rewards of Triguna Dharma.
Understanding this, My Nirguna followers renounce these perishable fruits and act according to My Nirguna Dharma by chanting My name. In doing so, they attain My imperishable supreme state, which surpasses all Trigunatmaka rewards."
ITI SHRIMADBHAGWADGEETASUPANISHATSHU BRAHMAVIDYAYAM YOGSHASTRE SHRIKRISHNAARJUN SAMVADE AKSHARBRAHM YOGONAM ASHTMOADHYAYAH ॥8॥
|| SHRIKRISHAN ARPAN MASTU ||
