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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 15 | Verse 8

Chapter 15, Verse 8

The Yoga of the Supreme Person

The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.

Verse

शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः।गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्।।15.8।।


śharīraṁ yad avāpnoti yach chāpy utkrāmatīśhvaraḥ
gṛihītvaitāni sanyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśhayāt

Meaning of each word

śharīram — the body;
yat — as;
avāpnoti — carries;
yat — as;
cha api — also;
utkrāmati — leaves;
īśhvaraḥ — the Lord of the material body, the embodied soul;
gṛihītvā — taking;
etāni — these;
sanyāti — goes away;
vāyuḥ — the air;
gandhān — fragrance;
iva — like;
āśhayāt — from seats

Interpretation

In this verse, we learn something important about how we, as living beings, connect our thoughts and feelings to our physical bodies. The term "isvara" here means that each person has control over their own body and life experiences. Imagine you have a bag that holds all your thoughts and beliefs—this bag is unique to you, and it impacts how you live.

When you change bodies, like when someone dies and is reborn, it’s similar to switching bags but keeping the same thoughts inside. Your thoughts at the time of death and throughout your life influence what kind of bag (body) you'll have next. If you think and feel a lot like a cat or a dog—meaning, if your attitudes and desires resemble those of animals—you may find yourself in a body like theirs in your next life. On the other hand, if you focus on being kind, generous, and living with higher ideals, you might be born into a better body, perhaps even a divine one.

How we think about life and what we desire creates our consciousness. So, if you have been thinking about divine qualities and virtues—like love, compassion, and connection with a higher power—you could end up in a heavenly realm, in the company of God or divine beings. This isn't saying everything is over when our physical body dies. Instead, it teaches us that our soul is always moving forward, changing from one body to the next based on our actions (what we do) and our karma (the results of our actions).

The idea is that we will always transition from one physical existence to another, and what we do in each life affects our next one. This "transmigration" or moving from one body to another is a process we all go through. Our current struggles and challenges—referred to in the verse as "karsati"—are part of our journey. It’s the effort we put into our lives, pushing through difficulties with the understanding that our soul is on a continual journey. So, in simple terms, keep in mind that your thoughts, feelings, and actions shape not just your current life but the next one as well.

Other Verses of Chapter 15
Verse 1
The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
Verse 2
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.
Verse 3
Its form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place; having cut asunder this firmly rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment.
Verse 4
Then, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha, from whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.
Verse 5
One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.
Verse 6
That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.
Verse 7
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Verse 9
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.
Verse 10
The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.
Verse 11
The endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in self-realization, can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try to.
Verse 12
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.
Verse 13
I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.
Verse 14
I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.
Verse 15
I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
Verse 16
There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible.
Verse 17
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.
Verse 18
Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.
Verse 19
Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.
Verse 20
This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.
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