Chapter 8 Verse 1-2
Akṣhar Brahma Yog
अर्जुन उवाच किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम। अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते।।8.1।। अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन। प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः।।8.2।।
arjuna uvācha kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣhottama adhibhūtaṁ cha kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim uchyate adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko ’tra dehe ’smin madhusūdana prayāṇa-kāle cha kathaṁ jñeyo ’si niyatātmabhiḥ
Word Meanings
| arjunaḥ uvācha | Arjun said |
| kim | what |
| tat | that |
| brahma | Brahman |
| kim | what |
| adhyātmam | the individual soul |
| kim | what |
| karma | the principle of karma |
| puruṣha-uttama | Shree Krishna, the Supreme Divine Personality |
| adhibhūtam | the material manifestation |
| cha | and |
| kim | what |
| proktam | is called |
| adhidaivam | the Lord of the celestial gods |
| kim | what |
| uchyate | is called |
| 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 |
Translation
Arjuna said, "What is Brahman? What is Adhyatma? What is action, O best among men? What is Adhibhuta declared to be? And, what is Adhidaiva said to be?" Who and how is Adhiyajna here in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how, at the time of death, are You to be known by the self-controlled?
Philosophical Significance
Core Meaning
Arjuna asks Krishna to name the deepest realities: Brahman (the final, unchanging ground), Adhyatma (the inner self), Karma (the law and reality of action), Adhibhuta (the material world), Adhidaiva (the higher guiding power or fate), and Adhiyajna (the one who presides over sacrifice). He wants to know how these fit together and where the Divine stands in the body.
This question points to one simple spiritual truth: there is a difference between what is permanent (the Self or Brahman) and what changes (body, mind, world). Actions belong to the changing realm. The Divine can be both the inner witness and the guiding power behind life. To meet death peacefully, one must keep the mind steady and fixed in that inner reality.
Krishna’s teaching that follows shows that knowing these helps you live with clarity: act responsibly, but identify with the eternal within, cultivate steady attention, and live in remembrance of the Divine so that at the end your awareness can rest in truth.
Life Application
- Remind yourself daily: "I am more than my job, feelings, or body." Use that to reduce stress and reactive behavior.
- Do your duties fully but without clinging to outcomes—focus on work, let results be.
- Build steady attention: short daily practices (breath awareness, a brief prayer, or repeating a name of God) so your mind is calm and remembers the Divine in hard moments.
Reflection Question
When things fall apart, can you pause and notice the inner self instead of identifying with the crisis?