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Chapter 8: Non decaying ultimate spirit

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praveen

Life is a dream
Staff member
(Several words indicated by the Lord in the last chapter are explained in this chapter. This chapter also describes the two types of death, one in which there is rebirth and another in which there is no rebirth.)

Arjuna asked:-

Hey greatest among men, what is that Brahmam?
What is Adhyathmam? What is karma?
What does Adhibhootha indicate in reality,
Which is really called Adhidaivatham?

Hey killer of Madhu, Who is Adhiyagna in this body?
How is it? And how does a man at his death bed,
Who has restrained himself, know about and realize you?
* see last two verses of Chapter 7

The Lord answered:-

The highest imperishable entity is Brahman,
Its existence as the embodied soul is Adhyathmam,
That sacrifice which leads to origin and development,
Of all beings and events is called Karma.

The perishable body is called Adhibhootham,
The cosmic being who activates is Adhidaivam,
And Oh best among all beings, I myself am,
Called Adhiyagna of this body.

He who lives in this perishable body,
Even when the end is very near ,
If he has memory of mine deeply within him,
Without any doubt reaches me.

Oh Son of Kunthi, he attains that,
Which had always occupied his mind
Or that which occupies his mind,
At the time of the parting of the soul.

So always keep thinking of me,
And also fight in the war and,
If you always keep your mind and brain,
On me, you will surely attain me.

Oh Arjuna. He who thinks of the Supreme Being,
With constant practice of yoga,
Which does not stray from thoughts to thoughts,
Attains him without any doubt.

He, who meditates at the time of the parting of the soul,
On Him, who knows everything that is to be known,
Who is ancient, who is ruler of everything,
Who is smaller than the atom, who is the sustainer of all,
Who has a form transcending thought, who is resplendent like the sun
And who is beyond darkness of ignorance with devotion and stable mind,
And fixes the life breath between his eye brows,
Using the great power and strength of yoga
Would definitely reach that Supreme Being.


I would tell you now in brief,
About that imperishable being,
Which is described as non perishable,
By those with deep knowledge of Vedas,
And which is sought as a refuge by those aspirants,
Who have left out all desires?
And lead a life of abstinence,
With a deep desire of attaining that. Being.

He who closes all doors to his senses,
Parks his mind in his heart,
Fixes the breath of life in his head,
And enters the state of yoga,
Chanting the letter “Om”,
Which is the single letter Brahman,
And leaves his body,
With my thought in his mind,
Attains the highest ever state.

Oh Arjuna, My access is very easy,
For him, who daily without any break,
Thinks about me only and does not,
Think of anything else and who,
Leads a life of a yogi with constant regularity.

Those great souls who have attained,
The highest state of salvation,
Reach me and do not take,
The transient and sad rebirth.

Oh Arjuna, all the worlds including,
The word of Brahma, provide you
Temporary shelter which is not permanent.
Oh son of Kunthi, but once they reach me,
They are never born again.

Those men who know Brahma’s day,
As lasting for one thousand yugas*,
And his night lasting for one thousand yugas,
Are the only one who knows the day and night?
* One Yuga is 12000 deva years and the deva year is of 360 days, where
each of their day is man’s one year. This can be known to yogis only.

When the day* comes, all beings,
Become separate and come out of,
The state of absence of clarity,
And when the night comes they merge back.

*Reference here is to the Brahma’s day when creation takes place.

All the crowd of living and the non living beings,
Come to existence, several times during the day,
And during night they disappear and are absorbed,
And when again the day comes, they come out helplessly.

Besides this unclear*, and indiscernible beings,
There is another unclear and indiscernible entity,
Which is perennial and that entity,
Is stable and never gets destroyed.
*The first entity referred to is nature and the second the perennial Brahmam.

That unclear entity which never gets destroyed,
Is referred to as the highest supreme goal,
And attaining that goal, one never returns,
And this is my supreme state.

Oh Arjuna, that in which every other thing,
Can exist inside, and that great Supreme Being,
Who pervades in every known place,
Can be easily attained by devotion,
Which is single pointed and perpetual.

Oh Arjuna, please hear from me,
About that period of times in which,
Yogis, who depart, return or not return?

Those who die in the light caused by fire,
During day time, during the waxing period of moon,
During northern solstice and are the devotees of Brahmam,
Would eventually attain the Brahmam.

Those who die when there is smoke,
Or during night, during the waning phase of moon,
And during the southern solstice and are,
Well versed in yoga, attain the moon,
And return back to earth.

It is for sure that, these bright and dark paths,
Are considered to be two eternal paths,
By one path they do not return back,
And by the other they return back.

Oh Arjuna, the yogi who understands these paths,
Is never, ever disappointed and so be always,
Becomes endowed by being an expert in yoga.

The Yogi attains all the good things,
Assured by practice of the Vedic chant,
By performing fire sacrifices,
By ascetism and by charity,
Because of his clear understanding of the above.


Thus ends the eighth chapter of Bhagwad Gita,
Which is the essence of all Upanishads,
Which is the science of the eternal and yoga,
And the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna,
Which is called “Non decaying ultimate spirit”
 
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