Lord at the end of the seventh chapter, while describing His entire form, used the six words Brahma, Adhyatma, Karma, Adhibhuta, Adhidaiva and Adhiyajna.He also explained that the Yogis who know Him in His entire form attain Him.
For getting further clarifications of these six words, Arjuna puts forth seven questions at the beginning of the eight chapter.
Arjuna: O Best among men! You have now told me that Your devotees know Brahma (the Infinite), Adhyatma (the embodied soul) and Your Integral Being etc., Therefore I want to ask you “What is Brahma?”
Krishna: The Supreme Imperishable viz., the attributeless and formless Supreme Soul is Brahma.
Arjuna: What is Adhyatma ?
Krishna: One’s own existence is called Adhyatma.
Arjuna: What is Karma (action)?
Krishna: During the final dissolution all creatures along-with their actions get absorbed in God. At the beginning of the new creation, He reveals them so that they may reap the fruit of their past actions. This feat of God which brings forth the existence of being is Karma.
Arjuna: What is said to be Adhibhuta (the field of matter)?
Krishna: O noble Arjuna, all perishable objects are Adhibhuta.
Arjuna: What is termed as Adhidaiva (Brahma)?
Krishna: Purusha (Brahma) who is the first to appear at the beginning of the creation is Adhidaiva.
Arjuna: Who is Adhiyajna (the unmanifest Divinity), in this body?
Krishna: I alone dwelling as the inner witness, Am– Adhiyajna in this body.
Arjuna: How are You attained at the time of death by those who have controlled their mind?
Krishna: He who departs from the body, thinking of Me alone at the time of death attains My being, there is no doubt about it— this is My ordinance. || 1-5 ||
Arjuna: What becomes of those who don’t think of You?
Krishna: O Kuntinandana (Arjuna), thinking of whatever being, one leaves the body at the time of death, that alone he attains, being absorbed in the thought thereof. || 6 ||
Arjuna: What is it that I should do at the time of death, to think of You?
Krishna: You should think of Me at all times and perform your Duty, with mind and reason surrendered to Me.
Arjuna: What will be its results?
Krishna: You will surely attain Me. || 7 ||
Arjuna: What is Your Form by thinking which a self-controlled man attains You?
Krishna: There are three forms – one with attributes and formless, second attributeless and formless and third endowed with attributes and form. Now I tell you the first form by meditating on which a man attains Me.
O Partha, he who with his mind established in Yoga in the form of practice of meditation, thinking of nothing else, is constantly engaged in contemplation of the Supreme Divine Purusha (God), attains Him. || 8 ||
Arjuna: What is the form of that Supreme Divine Purusha?
Krishna: He is the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler of all, Subtler than Subtle, the Sustainer of all, possessing a form beyond comprehension, shining like the Sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance. He who meditates on this Supreme Purusha at the time of death, by Yogic power firmly holding the life-breath in the space between eyebrows, with a steady mind, full of devotion, reaches verily that Supreme-Divine-Purusha. || 9-10 ||
Arjuna: How can a man attain You who are with attributes and formless by thinking of You?
Krishna: I shall speak to you in brief the method how to attain the Supreme Goal (God), which knowers of the Vedas call the imperishable and into which enter the recluses free from attachment, and desiring which the celibates practise celibacy.
Having restrained all the media of perception, fixing the mind in the heart, fixing the life-breath in the head and remaining steadfast in yogic concentration on God, the striver who departs leaving the body, reciting the one syllabled Brahma, “OM” and dwelling on Me in My absolute aspect, attains the Supreme Goal. || 11-13 ||
Arjuna: Now tell me, how can a self-controlled man attain You by thinking of Your Form endowed with attributes and Form?
Krishna: O Partha, he who always and constantly thinks of Me with undivided mind, to that Yogi, always absorbed in Me, I am easily attainable. || 14 ||
Arjuna: What happens to the great souls who have attained You?
Krishna: The great Souls having attained Me, are no more subject to re-birth which is transitory and the abode of pain. || 15 ||
Arjuna: Who are subject to rebirth?
Krishna: All the worlds including that of Brahma are subject to return (rebirth), but on attaining Me there is no rebirth. || 16 ||
Arjuna: Why are all worlds subject to return (rebirth)?
Krishna: Because they are under the sway of time.
Arjuna: What is that sway of Time?
Krishna: Those who know that the day of Brahma lasts a Thousand Yugas (ages), (One Yuga is forty- three lacs and twenty thousand years) and his night lasts a thousand Yugas, know the reality about time. At the commencement of Brahma’s day (when Brahma awakes), all embodied beings emanate from the unmanifest (i.e. Brahma’s subtle body) and at the commencement of his night (when Brahma goes to sleep), they merge in the same subtle body, which is called the unmanifest. || 17-18 ||
Arjuna: Why are they born and dissolved again and again?
Krishna: The multitude of beings is ever the same. But because of their nature full of attachment and aversion they are born again and again from Brahma under compulsion, at the time of cosmic day and are dissolved in him, at the approach of cosmic night. || 19 ||
Arjuna: Is there any existence beyond Unmanifest (i.e., Brahma’s subtle body) which does not perish?
Krishna: Yes, beyond Brahma there is Unmanifest Eternal Existence, the Supreme Divine Person who does not perish even when all beings perish. He is called the Unmanifest, the Imperishable, the Supreme Goal. That is My Supreme Abode, attaining which man does not return. || 20-21 ||
Arjuna: What is the way to attain that Supreme Abode?
Krishna: O Partha! That Supreme Purusha, in Whom all beings dwell and by whom the whole world is pervaded, is attainable only by exclusive devotion. || 22 ||
Arjuna: What happens to those who have exclusive devotion and to those who don’t have?
Krishna: O Arjuna! Those who have exclusive devotion, they attain Me and do not return. But those who don’t have exclusive devotion return to Birth and Deaths cycle. Now I shall tell you the time (Path) when they do not return and the time (Path) when they return. || 23 ||
Arjuna: Which are the two paths, O Lord?
Krishna: The path in which are located the fire-god and the gods presiding over— day time, the bright fortnight and the six months of the north-ward course of the Sun, proceeding along it after death, the knowers of Brahma attain Brahma viz., they do not return. But the path in which are located the gods presiding over—smoke, night, the dark fortnight and the six months of the southward course of the Sun, the beings devoted to action with a motive, proceeding along it after death, after enjoying the fruit of meritorious deeds in heaven, return. || 24-25 ||
Arjuna: How old are these two paths?
Krishna: These two paths, the bright and the dark are considered to be eternal, proceeding by one (bright) a man has no return and proceeding by the other (dark), he returns. || 26 ||
Arjuna: How to bar this return, O’ Lord?
Krishna: O Partha! By knowing the secret of these two paths, no Yogi gets deluded, in the world. Therefore, O Arjuna ever remain established in Yoga! viz., ever remain untainted in the world.
Arjuna: What happens when one gets established in Yoga, O Lord?
Krishna: The Yogi knowing this secret, transcends the rewards of meritorious deeds of the study of the Vedas and of the performance of sacrifices austerities and charities and attains the Supreme Primeval Abode. || 27-28 ||
****** End of Chapter 8 ******
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