Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 The Yoga of the Imperishable Absolute

Shloka 1 Arjuna's Questions about Brahman, the Self and Action arjuna uvācha | kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣhottama | adhibhūtaṁ cha kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim uchyate || 8.1 || Arjuna said: O Supreme Person, what is that Brahman, what is the Self (adhyātma), and what is action (karma)? What is declared to be adhibhūta (the material realm), and what is said to be adhidaiva (the divine realm)? → Shloka 2 Arjuna Asks about the Principle of Sacrifice and Knowing the Lord at Death adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko 'tra dehe 'smin madhusūdana | prayāṇa-kāle cha kathaṁ jñeyo 'si niyatātmabhiḥ || 8.2 || O Madhusudana, who is adhiyajña (the governing principle of sacrifice), and how is it present here in this body? And how are You to be known at the time of death by those of self-controlled mind? → Shloka 3 Krishna Defines Brahman, the Self and Action śhrī bhagavān uvācha | akṣharaṁ brahma paramaṁ svabhāvo 'dhyātmam uchyate | bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ || 8.3 || The Supreme Lord said: The imperishable, supreme being is Brahman. One's own inherent nature is called adhyātma (the Self). The creative action that causes the origin and growth of living beings is called karma (action). → Shloka 4 Krishna Explains the Material Realm, the Divine Realm and the Principle of Sacrifice adhibhūtaṁ kṣharo bhāvaḥ puruṣhaśh chādhidaivatam | adhiyajño 'ham evātra dehe deha-bhṛitāṁ vara || 8.4 || The perishable nature is adhibhūta (the material realm), and the cosmic Person is adhidaivata (the divine realm). I alone, here within the body, am adhiyajña (the principle of sacrifice), O best of the embodied. → Shloka 5 Remembering the Lord at the Time of Death Leads to His Nature anta-kāle cha mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram | yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśhayaḥ || 8.5 || Whoever, at the time of death, gives up the body remembering Me alone, attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt. → Shloka 6 One Attains the State One Remembers at the End yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram | taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ || 8.6 || Whatever state of being one remembers when giving up the body at the end, O son of Kunti, to that very state one attains, being always absorbed in the thought of it. → Shloka 7 Remember Me at All Times and Fight tasmāt sarveṣhu kāleṣhu mām anusmara yudhya cha | mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mām evaiṣhyasy asaṁśhayaḥ || 8.7 || Therefore, at all times remember Me and fight. With your mind and intellect surrendered to Me, you will surely come to Me alone, without doubt. → Shloka 8 Constant Practice with an Undistracted Mind Leads to the Supreme Divine Person abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena chetasā nānya-gāminā | paramaṁ puruṣhaṁ divyaṁ yāti pārthānuchintayan || 8.8 || With a mind engaged in constant practice and not wandering elsewhere, one who continually contemplates the Supreme Divine Person, O Arjuna, attains Him. → Shloka 9 Meditating on the Supreme as the All-Knowing, Subtle, Sun-Radiant Sustainer kaviṁ purāṇam anuśhāsitāram aṇor aṇīyāṁsam anusmared yaḥ | sarvasya dhātāram achintya-rūpam āditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt || 8.9 || One who meditates upon the all-knowing, ancient Controller, subtler than the atom, the Sustainer of all, of inconceivable form, radiant like the sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance... → Shloka 10 At Death, a Steady Mind with Devotion and Yoga Reaches the Supreme Divine Person prayāṇa-kāle manasāchalena bhaktyā yukto yoga-balena chaiva | bhruvor madhye prāṇam āveśhya samyak sa taṁ paraṁ puruṣham upaiti divyam || 8.10 || At the time of death, with a steady mind, endowed with devotion and with the power of yoga, one who fully fixes the life-breath between the eyebrows attains that Supreme Divine Person. → Shloka 11 The Imperishable Goal Declared by the Knowers of the Vedas yad akṣharaṁ veda-vido vadanti viśhanti yad yatayo vīta-rāgāḥ | yad ichchhanto brahmacharyaṁ charanti tat te padaṁ saṅgraheṇa pravakṣhye || 8.11 || I shall explain to you briefly that goal which the knowers of the Vedas call imperishable, which ascetics free from attachment enter, and desiring which people practice the discipline of celibacy and self-restraint. → Shloka 12 Controlling the Senses, Fixing the Mind and Breath in Yogic Concentration sarva-dvārāṇi saṁyamya mano hṛidi nirudhya cha | mūrdhny ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām || 8.12 || Having controlled all the gates of the body, confined the mind in the heart, and fixed one's life-breath in the head, established in yogic concentration... → Shloka 13 Chanting Om and Remembering the Supreme at Death Leads to the Highest Goal om ity ekākṣharaṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran | yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim || 8.13 || One who departs, leaving the body while uttering the single syllable Om, the sound form of Brahman, and remembering Me, attains the supreme goal. → Shloka 14 The Constant Devotee Easily Attains the Supreme ananya-chetāḥ satataṁ yo māṁ smarati nityaśhaḥ | tasyāhaṁ su-labhaḥ pārtha nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ || 8.14 || O Arjuna, I am easily attained by the ever-steadfast yogi who remembers Me constantly and daily with a mind that turns to nothing else. → Shloka 15 Great Souls Who Reach the Supreme Do Not Return to the Temporary World of Suffering mām upetya punar janma duḥkhālayam aśhāśhvatam | nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ || 8.15 || Having attained Me, the great souls, who have reached the highest perfection, do not take birth again in this temporary world, which is full of suffering. → Shloka 16 All Realms Are Subject to Return, but Reaching the Supreme Ends Rebirth ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna | mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate || 8.16 || All the worlds, up to the realm of Brahma, are subject to return, O Arjuna. But having attained Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth. → Shloka 17 The Day and Night of Brahma Last a Thousand Ages Each sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ | rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ te 'ho-rātra-vido janāḥ || 8.17 || Those who understand day and night know that the day of Brahma lasts a thousand yugas (ages), and that his night also ends after a thousand yugas. → Shloka 18 All Manifest Beings Emerge from the Unmanifest at Day and Dissolve at Night avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ prabhavanty ahar-āgame | rātry-āgame pralīyante tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake || 8.18 || At the coming of the day of Brahma, all manifest beings emerge from the unmanifest, and at the coming of night they merge back into that very same unmanifest. → Shloka 19 The Same Multitude of Beings Appears and Dissolves Again and Again bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate | rātry-āgame 'vaśhaḥ pārtha prabhavaty ahar-āgame || 8.19 || This very multitude of beings, coming into existence again and again, dissolves helplessly at the coming of night, O Arjuna, and emerges again at the coming of day. → Shloka 20 Beyond the Unmanifest Lies an Eternal Reality That Never Perishes paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ | yaḥ sa sarveṣhu bhūteṣhu naśhyatsu na vinaśhyati || 8.20 || But beyond that unmanifest there is another, higher unmanifest reality, which is eternal and is not destroyed even when all beings perish. → Shloka 21 The Unmanifest Imperishable Is the Supreme Abode from Which There Is No Return avyakto 'kṣhara ity uktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim | yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama || 8.21 || That which is described as the unmanifest and imperishable, they declare to be the supreme goal. Having attained it, one does not return; that is My supreme abode. → Shloka 22 The Supreme Person, Who Pervades All, Is Attained by Undivided Devotion puruṣhaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā | yasyāntaḥ-sthāni bhūtāni yena sarvam idaṁ tatam || 8.22 || That Supreme Person, O Arjuna, is attained only by undivided devotion. All beings dwell within Him, and by Him all this universe is pervaded. → Shloka 23 Krishna Announces the Times of Departure That Lead to Return or Non-Return yatra kāle tv anāvṛittim āvṛittiṁ chaiva yoginaḥ | prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ vakṣhyāmi bharatarṣhabha || 8.23 || O best of the Bharatas, I shall now tell you the times at which yogis who depart from this world do not return, and the time at which they do return. → Shloka 24 The Bright Path: Knowers of Brahman Who Depart in the Light Reach Brahman agnir jyotir ahaḥ śhuklaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam | tatra prayātā gachchhanti brahma brahma-vido janāḥ || 8.24 || Fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the sun's northern course: departing in these, those who know Brahman reach Brahman. → Shloka 25 The Dark Path: The Yogi Who Departs in Smoke and Night Returns dhūmo rātris tathā kṛiṣhṇaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā dakṣhiṇāyanam | tatra chāndramasaṁ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate || 8.25 || Smoke, night, the dark fortnight, and the six months of the sun's southern course: departing in these, the yogi attains the lunar light and returns. → Shloka 26 The Bright and Dark Paths: One Leads to Non-Return, the Other to Return śhukla-kṛiṣhṇe gatī hy ete jagataḥ śhāśhvate mate | ekayā yāty anāvṛittim anyayāvartate punaḥ || 8.26 || The bright and dark paths of departure from this world are considered eternal. By one, a person goes to non-return; by the other, he returns again. → Shloka 27 No Yogi Who Knows the Two Paths Is Bewildered, So Be Steadfast in Yoga at All Times naite sṛitī pārtha jānan yogī muhyati kaśhchana | tasmāt sarveṣhu kāleṣhu yoga-yukto bhavārjuna || 8.27 || O Arjuna, no yogi who knows these two paths is ever bewildered. Therefore, at all times be steadfast in yoga. → Shloka 28 The Yogi Who Knows This Transcends All Fruits of Merit and Reaches the Primal Abode vedeṣhu yajñeṣhu tapaḥsu chaiva dāneṣhu yat puṇya-phalaṁ pradiṣhṭam | atyeti tat sarvam idaṁ viditvā yogī paraṁ sthānam upaiti chādyam || 8.28 || Whatever fruit of merit is declared for the study of the Vedas, for sacrifices, austerities and charity, the yogi who knows this goes beyond all of it and attains the supreme, primal abode. →