Conversation 8. Imperishable and Eternal Brahman

Bhagavad Gita with Commentaries / Conversation 8. Imperishable and Eternal Brahman

Conversation 8. Imperishable and Eternal Brahman

Arjuna said:

8:1. What is Brahman, what is the Atman, what is action, O Greatest Soul? What is the material, and what is the Divine?

8:2. What is sacrifice, and how it is performed by the incarnated? And how, O Madhusudana, he who cognized the Atman cognizes You at the moment of his death?

The Blessed One said:

8:3. The Indestructible and Highest is Brahman. The main essence (of incarnate beings) is the Atman. What sustains life of the incarnate is called action.

8:4. The knowledge about the material concerns My perishable nature; the knowledge about the Divine concerns purusha. The knowledge about the Highest Sacrifice concerns Me in this body, O best of the embodied.

8:5. And he who departing from the body at the moment of death is conscious about Me alone — he, no doubt, comes to My Existence.

8:6. Whatever state is habitual to man at the end of his existence in the body, in that very state he remains*, O Kaunteya.

8:7. Therefore, remember Me always — and fight. Aspiring to Me with the mind and consciousness, you will surely enter Me.

8:8. Having achieved peace with the help of yoga, distracting his attention to nothing else, reflecting always on the Supreme, such one attains the Highest Divine Spirit.

8:9. He who knows everything about the Eternal Omnipresent Ruler of the world, the One subtler than the subtlest, the Foundation of everything, formless, shining like the Sun behind the darkness,

8:10. who at the moment of departure does not distract his mind and love, being in Yoga*, who opens the passage of energy^* between the eyebrows, — such one attains the Highest Divine Spirit.

8:11. The Path which men of knowledge call Eternal, which spiritual warriors go through self-control and liberation from passions, which brahmachariyas walk — that Path I will describe to you in brief.

8:12. Having closed all gates of the body*, locked the mind in the heart, directing the Atman^* to the Supreme, and being established firmly in Yoga,

8:13. chanting the mantra of Brahman AUM* and being conscious about Me — anyone departing so from the body attains the Supreme Goal.

8:14. He who constantly thinks only about Me, having no thoughts about anything else — such a steady yogi, O Partha, easily attains Me.

8:15. Having come to Me, these Mahatmas never get born again in the transient vales of tears: they attain the Highest Perfection.

8:16. Those dwelling in the worlds lower than the world of Brahman* get born again. But they who have attained Me are not subject to new births.

8:17. He who knows the Day of Brahman, which lasts a thousand of yugas*, and His Night, which comes to an end after a thousand of yugas — he knows Day and Night.

8:18. From the Unmanifest all the Manifest comes forth at the beginning of the Day. With coming of the Night, it dissolves in that, which is called Unmanifest.

8:19. All the multitude of beings giving birth one to another disappear with the beginning of the Night. With the beginning of the Day, all beings, by the Highest Command, appear anew.

8:20. But, verily, superior to this Unmanifest, there is yet another Unmanifest, Which too remains at the time when all the Manifest perishes.

8:21. This Unmanifest is called “the Most Perfect One” and is known as the Ultimate Goal. They who have attained Him do not come back. This is That Which dwells in My Supreme Abode.

8:22. This Highest Consciousness, O Partha, is attained by steadfast devotion to Its alone — to the One in Whom exists all the existing and Who pervades the whole world.

8:23. Now I am going to tell you, O best of the Bharatas, about the time at which depart the yogis who are never to return and the time at which depart the yogis who are to return again.

8:24. Dying at fire, at daylight, on the wax of the Moon, at the time of six months of the northward passage of the Sun, yogis knowing Brahman go to Brahman.

8:25. Dying in smoke, at night, on the wane of the Moon, at the time of six months of the southward passage of the Sun, yogis obtaining the light of the Moon come back.

8:26. Light and Darkness — these are the two ever existing paths. By the first path goes he who does not return; by the second path goes the one who returns again.

8:27. Knowing these two paths, let a yogi never go astray! So, be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna!

8:28. Studying the Vedas, performing sacrifice, ascetic exploits, and good deeds give one proper fruits. But a yogi possessing the true knowledge is superior to all these; he attains the Supreme Abode.

Thus in the upanishads of the blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the Scripture of yoga, says the eighth conversation between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:

Imperishable and Eternal Brahman.