Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 8: अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः
Twenty-eight verses. Arjuna’s seven questions, remembrance at the time of the end, the day and night of Brahma, and the two paths of light and of smoke are here.
Tap any verse card to open its page with the word-by-word meaning. Pages are ready for every verse of this chapter.
किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥ 1 ॥Meaning of verse 8.1 →2अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥ 2 ॥Meaning of verse 8.2 →3श्रीभगवानुवाच
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते।
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥ 3 ॥Meaning of verse 8.3 →4अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम्।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥ 4 ॥Meaning of verse 8.4 →5अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥ 5 ॥Meaning of verse 8.5 →6यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्।
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥ 6 ॥Meaning of verse 8.6 →7तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥ 7 ॥Meaning of verse 8.7 →8अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना।
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥ 8 ॥Meaning of verse 8.8 →9कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः।
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥ 9 ॥Meaning of verse 8.9 →10प्रयाणकाले मनसाचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव।
भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥ 10 ॥Meaning of verse 8.10 →11यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः।
यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं सङ्ग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥ 11 ॥Meaning of verse 8.11 →12सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च।
मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥ 12 ॥Meaning of verse 8.12 →13ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्।
यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥ 13 ॥Meaning of verse 8.13 →14अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः।
तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥ 14 ॥Meaning of verse 8.14 →15मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम्।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥ 15 ॥Meaning of verse 8.15 →16आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन।
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥ 16 ॥Meaning of verse 8.16 →17सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः।
रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥ 17 ॥Meaning of verse 8.17 →18अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे।
रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥ 18 ॥Meaning of verse 8.18 →19भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते।
रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥ 19 ॥Meaning of verse 8.19 →20परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः।
यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥ 20 ॥Meaning of verse 8.20 →21अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम्।
यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥ 21 ॥Meaning of verse 8.21 →22पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया।
यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥ 22 ॥Meaning of verse 8.22 →23यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः।
प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥ 23 ॥Meaning of verse 8.23 →24अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम्।
तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥ 24 ॥Meaning of verse 8.24 →25धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम्।
तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥ 25 ॥Meaning of verse 8.25 →26शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते।
एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥ 26 ॥Meaning of verse 8.26 →27नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन।
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥ 27 ॥Meaning of verse 8.27 →28वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम्।
अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥ 28 ॥Meaning of verse 8.28 →
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे अक्षरब्रह्मयोगो नाम अष्टमोऽध्यायः ॥
About Akshara Brahma Yoga
The seventh chapter left six words unexplained: Brahman, adhyatma, karma, adhibhuta, adhidaiva and adhiyajna. Its last line also spoke of remembrance at the time of death. The eighth chapter unfolds these very things through Arjuna’s seven questions.
At the centre of the chapter is a simple principle: remembrance at the last moment comes from whatever the mind has been steeped in throughout life. Hence the teaching ‘remember me at all times, and fight’. Alongside demanding yogic procedures, it also holds the gentle word ‘I am easy to reach’ for one who remembers the Lord every day with an undivided mind.
How the chapter moves
- Verses 1 and 2: Arjuna’s seven questions, on Brahman, adhyatma, karma, adhibhuta, adhidaiva, adhiyajna, and how the Lord is to be known at the time of death.
- Verses 3 and 4: Short answers to the first six questions.
- Verses 5 to 8: Remembrance at the time of the end, the rule of ‘sada tadbhavabhavitah’, and doing one’s duty while remembering at all times.
- Verses 9 to 13: The supreme Person as the object of meditation, the life-breath between the eyebrows, restraint of the gates of the senses, and the yogi who departs with Om.
- Verses 14 to 16: The Lord is easy to reach for one who remembers him every day with an undivided mind, and for those who reach him there is no rebirth.
- Verses 17 to 22: The day and night of Brahma, the cycle of creation and dissolution, the eternal unmanifest beyond it, and the supreme Person attained by undivided devotion.
- Verses 23 to 28: The two paths of light and smoke, the call ‘be steadfast in yoga at all times’, and the understanding that goes beyond every fruit of merit.
The Imperishable: three readings
At ‘aksharam brahma paramam’ in the third verse the acharyas part ways. For both Shankara and Madhva the Imperishable is the Supreme Brahman. But Shankara understands ‘svabhava’ as that same Brahman present in each body, while Madhva understands it as the jiva. For Ramanuja the supreme Imperishable here is the individual self in its own nature, freed from prakriti.
These pages do not decide between the readings. Wherever the acharyas part, each position is recorded in its own terms.
Uttarayana and dakshinayana
Many take the northern and southern courses of the sun, day and night, in verses twenty-four and twenty-five, as a rule about the date of death. But Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva all understand them as presiding deities who lead the soul along the path. The Brahma Sutras too discuss the question, and hold that even a knower who dies at night or in dakshinayana does not lose the fruit.
The last days and care
Since this chapter speaks directly about death, the verse pages read it alongside some points of present-day palliative care. The breath practices of verses ten and twelve belong to accomplished yogis. It is not safe to try them on one’s own from a book.
Sources: several.