THE HOLY GITA
CHAPTER NUMBER 08
AKSHARA BRAHMA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE IMPERISHABLE BRAHMAN:
VERSE NUMBER 01
Text in Transliteration:
arjuna uvaacha
kim tad brahma kim adhaatmam
kim karma purushottama
adhibhootam cha ki proktam
adhidaivam kim uchyate
Text in English:
Arjuna said:
What is that Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is karma? O Best among men! What is said to be Adhibhta, and what is called Adhidaiva?
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
What is present in the self (adhyaatmam)? What is present in the gods (adhidaivam)? What is present in the sacrifice(adhiyajnam)? What is present in all beings(adhibhootam)? The answer to these questions is that the Supreme Spirit pervades all created beings, all sacrifices, all deities and all work. These are only the varied expressions of the Supreme.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
In the last two verses of the seventh chapter Lord Krishna had used certain philosophical and technical terms such as Adhiyajnam. 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 life-force to the Ajna Chakra and the Sahasrara and the Brahmarandhra). Verse 14 treats of the easy Yoga of constant Namasamarana 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 (Adhibhootam), knowledge of the shining ones (Adhidaivam), and the secret of sacrifice (adhiyajnam) are described in this discourse. The perfect sage will have perfect knowledge. He will have perfect knowledge of not only manifested Brahman but also of the transcendental Brahman and the why of the Universe, etc. (Cf. IV. 16)
VERSE NUMBER 02
Text in Transliteration:
adhiyajnah katham ko ‘tra dehe ‘smin madhusoodana
prayaanakaale cha katham jneyo’si niyataatmabhih
Text in English:
Who and how is Adhiyajna here in this body, O Madhusudana? And how, at the time of death, art Thou to be known by the self-controlled?
The concluding two stanzas of the previous discourse induce Arjuna to raise these seven questions which are a sequel to the topics discussed. The Lord answers all of them.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
How are Thou revealed at the hour of death to the spiritual-minded?
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Arjuna puts seven questions to the Lord:
1.What is that Brahman? Is it Brahman with the Upadhis (limiting adjuncts) or Brahman without them?
2. Is it the aggregate of the senses or individual consciousness (Pratyk-Chaitanya) or distinct. Pure consciousness?
3. What is Karma? Is it Yajna? Or, is it distinct from Yajna?
4. Adhibhutam is knowledge of the Bhutas. Is this the knowledge of the elements of something else?
5. Adhidaivam is that which is associated with the gods. Is this the medtationon the gods? Or, is it the consciousness associated with the Suryamandala, etc.?
6. Adhiyajna is that which is associated with Yajnas or Vedic rituals. Is this the Para Brahman (Supreme Being) or any special god? Is it of the same form (Tadatmyarupa) or any special god? Is it of the same form (Tadatmyarupa) or is it entirely non-different (Abheda)? Does it exist in the body or outside it? If it exists in the body, is it the intellect (Buddhi) or distinct from it?
7. At the time of death, when the memory is lost and when the senses become cold (i.e., when they lose their vitality) how can the man of one-pointedness and of steadfast mind know the Lord?
O Lord Madhusudana! Thou art all-merciful. Thou hast killed Madhu and removed the miseries of the people. even so Thou canst remove my difficulties and doubts very easily. This is nothing for Thee, the omniscient Lord. (This is the reason why Arnjua addresses the Lord by the name Madhusudana.)
Comments by the Blogger:
These seven questions are philosophical in nature. But, as we have seen hereto, high philosophy has been described by the Lord of Gita in a manner even the lay people could easily understand. Swami Sidbhavananda has compared the Upanishads to a cow and Gita its milk. We may buy a cow with calf and milk the cow daily for our use. This presupposes the purchase and stocking of the feed to the cow. And building a shed for it is a must. And we regularly maintain the cow and bathe it so it would not catch any infection. But if we just buy a glass of milk for our daily needs, we could look at other matters pertaining to our life. Upanishadic Seers like their Vedic counterparts have clothed their thoughts in highly allegorical and metaphoric language. So, apart from an unflinching faith, we must have a good imagination and intellectuality and scholarship to understand the texts. But in reading Gita, especially with any of the commentators we are daily seeing in this site, just about anyone could peruse and understand Gita. Great and contradictory philosophical stands have been set at rest with the Lord of the Gita declaring the Truth about them and thus ending all controversies. Gita is for the Lay people. Gita is for all, initiated and uninitiated. Those who make the regular study of Gita would find life bearable and solutions for all questions forthcoming.
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