Chapter 8

Arjuna. Who is that BRAHMA? What that Soul of Souls, The ADHYATMAN? What, Thou Best of All! Thy work, the KARMA? Tell me what it is Thou namest ADHIBHUTA? What again Means ADHIDAIVA? Yea, and how it comes Thou canst be ADHIYAJNA in thy flesh? Slayer of Madhu! Further, make me know How good men find thee in the hour of death?

Arjuna. Who is BRAHMA? What is the Soul of Souls, The ADHYATMAN? You, Best of All! What is your work, KARMA? Tell me, What do you call ADHIBHUTA? And what Does ADHIDAIVA mean? And how Can you be ADHIYAJNA in your body? Slayer of Madhu! Tell me also, How do good men find you at the hour of death?

Krishna. I BRAHMA am! the One Eternal GOD, And ADHYATMAN is My Being's name, The Soul of Souls! What goeth forth from Me, Causing all life to live, is KARMA called: And, Manifested in divided forms, I am the ADHIBHUTA, Lord of Lives; And ADHIDAIVA, Lord of all the Gods, Because I am PURUSHA, who begets. And ADHIYAJNA, Lord of Sacrifice, I--speaking with thee in this body here-- Am, thou embodied one! (for all the shrines Flame unto Me!) And, at the hour of death, He that hath meditated Me alone, In putting off his flesh, comes forth to Me, Enters into My Being--doubt thou not! But, if he meditated otherwise At hour of death, in putting off the flesh, He goes to what he looked for, Kunti's Son! Because the Soul is fashioned to its like.

Krishna. I am BRAHMA, the One Eternal God! And ADHYATMAN is the name of my being, The Soul of Souls! What flows from me, Giving life to all living things, is called KARMA. And, revealed in separate forms, I am ADHIBHUTA, Lord of Lives, And ADHIDAIVA, Lord of all the Gods, Because I am PURUSHA, who brings life into being. And I am ADHIYAJNA, Lord of Sacrifice. I am here in this body, speaking with you, You who also live in a body! (For the flames of all shrines burn for me!) At the hour of death, Anyone who has meditated on me alone Comes to me when leaving the body, And enters my being. Have no doubt! But if someone has meditated on something else At the hour of death, then, on leaving the body, They go to whatever they sought, Kunti's Son! Because the soul takes the form of what it seeks.

Have Me, then, in thy heart always! and fight! Thou too, when heart and mind are fixed on Me, Shalt surely come to Me! All come who cleave With never-wavering will of firmest faith, Owning none other Gods: all come to Me, The Uttermost, Purusha, Holiest!

Keep me in your heart always, then, and fight! You too, when your heart and mind are fixed on me, Will surely come to me! All who stay devoted With unwavering resolve and the firmest faith, Worshiping no other Gods, come to me, The Highest, Purusha, the Holiest!

Whoso hath known Me, Lord of sage and singer, Ancient of days; of all the Three Worlds Stay, Boundless,--but unto every atom Bringer Of that which quickens it: whoso, I say,

Whoever has known me, Lord of sage and singer, the ancient one who sustains all the Three Worlds, boundless, but giving every atom what brings each atom to life. Whoever, I say,

Hath known My form, which passeth mortal knowing; Seen my effulgence--which no eye hath seen-- Than the sun's burning gold more brightly glowing, Dispersing darkness,--unto him hath been

Has known my form, beyond mortal understanding, And seen my radiance, which no eye has seen, Shining brighter than the sun's burning gold, Driving away darkness, to him has been

Right life! And, in the hour when life is ending, With mind set fast and trustful piety, Drawing still breath beneath calm brows unbending, In happy peace that faithful one doth die,--

Right living! And when life is ending, The faithful person’s mind is steady and full of trusting devotion. Still breathing beneath a calm, unmoving brow, That faithful person dies in joyful peace.

In glad peace passeth to Purusha's heaven. The place which they who read the Vedas name AKSHARAM, "Ultimate;" whereto have striven Saints and ascetics--their road is the same.

Passes in joyful peace to Purusha's heaven. Those who read the Vedas call this place AKSHARAM, "Ultimate." Saints and ascetics have striven to reach this place. Their path is the same.

That way--the highest way--goes he who shuts The gates of all his senses, locks desire Safe in his heart, centres the vital airs Upon his parting thought, steadfastly set; And, murmuring OM, the sacred syllable-- Emblem of BRAHM--dies, meditating Me.

He takes the highest path if he closes all the gates of his senses and keeps desire locked in his heart. He gathers his vital breaths around his final thought, holding it steady. He murmurs OM, the sacred syllable representing BRAHM, and dies meditating on me.

For who, none other Gods regarding, looks Ever to Me, easily am I gained By such a Yogi; and, attaining Me, They fall not--those Mahatmas--back to birth, To life, which is the place of pain, which ends, But take the way of utmost blessedness.

For a Yogi who turns to no other Gods and looks Always to me can reach me easily. And once those Mahatmas reach me, They are not born again into life, A place of pain that comes to an end. Instead, they take the path to the greatest blessedness.

The worlds, Arjuna!--even Brahma's world-- Roll back again from Death to Life's unrest; But they, O Kunti's Son! that reach to Me, Taste birth no more. If ye know Brahma's Day Which is a thousand Yugas; if ye know The thousand Yugas making Brahma's Night, Then know ye Day and Night as He doth know! When that vast Dawn doth break, th' Invisible Is brought anew into the Visible; When that deep Night doth darken, all which is Fades back again to Him Who sent it forth; Yea! this vast company of living things-- Again and yet again produced--expires At Brahma's Nightfall; and, at Brahma's Dawn, Riseth, without its will, to life new-born. But--higher, deeper, innermost--abides Another Life, not like the life of sense, Escaping sight, unchanging. This endures When all created things have passed away: This is that Life named the Unmanifest, The Infinite! the All! the Uttermost. Thither arriving none return. That Life Is Mine, and I am there! And, Prince! by faith Which wanders not, there is a way to come Thither. I, the PURUSHA, I Who spread The Universe around me--in Whom dwell All living Things--may so be reached and seen!

The worlds, Arjuna, even Brahma's world, Return from death to the turmoil of life. But those who reach me, O Kunti's Son, Are never born again. If you know Brahma's Day Lasts a thousand Yugas, and if you know A thousand Yugas make up Brahma's Night, Then you know Day and Night as he does! When that vast Dawn breaks, the Invisible Becomes Visible once again. When that deep Night falls, everything that exists Fades back into the one who brought it forth. Yes, this vast multitude of living things, Created again and again, dies At Brahma's Nightfall. At Brahma's Dawn, All rise to life again, without choosing to. But higher, deeper, at the very heart, there remains Another Life, unlike the life of the senses. Unseen and unchanging, this Life endures When all created things have passed away. This Life is called the Unmanifest, The Infinite! The All! The Ultimate. No one who reaches that Life returns. That Life is mine, and I am there! And, Prince, through faith That never wavers, there is a way to reach That Life. I am the PURUSHA. I spread The Universe around me, and all living things dwell In me. Through such faith, I may be reached and seen!

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Richer than holy fruit on Vedas growing, Greater than gifts, better than prayer or fast, Such wisdom is! The Yogi, this way knowing, Comes to the Utmost Perfect Peace at last.

This wisdom is richer than the sacred rewards of the Vedas, Greater than gifts, and better than prayer or fasting! The Yogi who understands this wisdom Finally reaches the highest, most perfect peace.

HERE ENDETH CHAPTER VIII. OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, Entitled "Aksharaparabrahmayog," Or "The book of Religion by Devotion to the One Supreme God."

Here ends Chapter VIII of the Bhagavad-Gita, titled "Aksharaparabrahmayog," or "The Book of Religion Through Devotion to the One Supreme God."