Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 8 | Verse 2

Chapter 8, Verse 2

Attaining the Supreme

How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusudana? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death?

Verse

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन।
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः।।8.2।।

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko ’tra dehe ’smin madhusūdana
prayāṇa-kāle cha kathaṁ jñeyo ’si niyatātmabhiḥ

Meaning of each word

adhiyajñaḥ — the Lord all sacrificial performances;
katham — how;
kaḥ — who;
atra — here;
dehe — in body;
asmin — this;
madhusūdana — Shree Krishna, the killer of the demon named Madhu;
prayāṇa-kāle — at the time of death;
cha — and;
katham — how;
jñeyaḥ — to be known;
asi — are (you);
niyata-ātmabhiḥ — by those of steadfast mind

Interpretation

In this verse, Arjuna is asking Lord Krishna, who is also known as Madhusudana, some important questions. First, he is curious about the nature of the Lord of sacrifice. In the context of this verse, sacrifice refers to the actions and worship that are done to honor the divine, like performing rituals or giving offerings. Arjuna wants to understand how this divine presence exists within every living being. He also wonders where exactly this divine presence resides in our bodies. Is it in our heart or somewhere else?

To give you more clarity, Arjuna is recognizing that there are various demigods like Indra and Vishnu. Indra is like a king among demigods who oversees the affairs of the universe, while Vishnu is seen as the protector and preserver. They are both respected in rituals known as yajnas. Yet, Arjuna wants to pinpoint who the true essence of divine sacrifice is, which he sees as key to understanding spiritual life.

Moreover, Arjuna is concerned about how people who are devoted to worshiping the Lord can recognize Him or connect with Him at the crucial moment of death. This highlights the importance of being in tune with the divine, especially when facing the end of life, which can be a daunting time for anyone.

In essence, Arjuna's questions reflect a deeper inquiry into spirituality. He wants to know how the divine connects with our daily existence. He is looking for reassurance that even in the moments of great uncertainty, such as death, understanding the divine can provide clarity and peace. This verse invites every one of us to ponder how the divine works within our lives, how we can connect with that presence, and how we may find comfort in our devotion.

Other Verses of Chapter 8

Verse 1
Arjuna inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.

Verse 3
The Supreme Lord said, The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. Action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called karma, or fruitive activities.

Verse 4
Physical nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.

Verse 5
And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

Verse 6
Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.

Verse 7
Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

Verse 8
He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.

Verse 9
One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun and, being transcendental, is beyond this material nature.

Verse 10
One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Verse 11
Persons learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and who are great sages in the renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection, one practices celibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by which one may attain salvation.

Verse 12
The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in yoga.

Verse 13
After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets.

Verse 14
For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.

Verse 15
After reaching Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.

Verse 16
From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.

Verse 17
By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.

Verse 18
When Brahma's day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes into being, and at the arrival of Brahma's night they are all annihilated.

Verse 19
Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.

Verse 20
Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.

Verse 21
That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode.

Verse 22
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all, is attainable by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.

Verse 23
O best of the Bharatas, I shall now explain to you the different times at which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come back.

Verse 24
Those who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from the world during the influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment, during the fortnight of the moon and the six months when the sun travels in the north.

Verse 25
The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, the moonlight fortnight, or in the six months when the sun passes to the south, or who reaches the moon planet, again comes back.

Verse 26
According to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world—one in light and one in darkness. When one passes in light, he does not come back; but when one passes in darkness, he returns.

Verse 27
The devotees who know these two paths, O Arjuna, are never bewildered. Therefore be always fixed in devotion.

Verse 28
A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.

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