Many subjects have been discussed in this chapter: the man in distress, the inquisitive man, the man in want of material necessities, knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of Paramātmā, liberation from birth, death and diseases, and worship of the Supreme Lord. However, he who is actually elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not care for the different processes. He simply directly engages himself in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thereby factually attains his constitutional position as eternal servitor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In such a situation he takes pleasure in hearing and glorifying the Supreme Lord in pure devotional service. He is convinced that by doing so, all his objectives will be fulfilled. This determined faith is called
dṛḍha-vrata,
and it is the beginning of
bhakti-yoga
or transcendental loving service. That is the verdict of all scriptures. This Seventh Chapter of the
Gītā
is the substance of that conviction.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Seventh Chapter of the
Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā
in the matter of Knowledge of the Absolute.
Bg 8: Attaining the Supreme
8. Attaining the Supreme
Bg 8.1
TEXT 1
TEXT
arjuna uvāca
kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ
kiṁ karma puruṣottama
adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam
adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate
SYNONYMS
arjunaḥ uvāca-
Arjuna said;
kim-
what;
tat-
that;
brahma-
Brahman;
kim-
what;
adhyātmam-
the self;
kim-
what;
karma-
fruitive activities;
puruṣottama
-O Supreme Person;
adhibhūtam-
the material manifestation;
ca-
and;
kim-
what;
proktam-
is called;
adhidaivam-
the demigods;
kim-
what;
ucyate-
is called.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
In this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa answers these different questions of Arjuna beginning with, "What is Brahman?" The Lord also explains
karma,
fruitive activities, devotional service and
yoga
principles, and devotional service in its pure form. The
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
explains that the Supreme Absolute Truth is known as Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. In addition, the living entity, individual soul, is also called Brahman. Arjuna also inquires about
ātmā,
which refers to body, soul and mind. According to the Vedic dictionary,
ātmā
refers to the mind, soul, body and senses also.
Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as
Puruṣottama,
Supreme Person, which means that he was putting these questions not simply to a friend but to the Supreme Person, knowing Him to be the supreme authority able to give definitive answers.
Bg 8.2
TEXT 2
TEXT
adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko 'tra
dehe 'smin madhusūdana
prayāṇa-kāle ca kathaṁ
jñeyo 'si niyatātmabhiḥ
SYNONYMS
adhiyajñaḥ-
the Lord of sacrifice;
katham-
how;
kaḥ-
who;
atra-
here;
dehe-
in the body;
asmin-
in this;
madhusūdana
-O Madhusūdana;
prayāṇa-kāle-
at the time of death;
ca-
and;
katham-
how;
jñeyaḥ-
be known;
asi-
You can;
niyata-ātmabhiḥ-
by the self-controlled.
TRANSLATION
How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusūdana? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death?
PURPORT
The Lord of sacrifice accepts Indra and Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the chief of the primal demigods, including Brahmā and Śiva, and Indra is the chief of the administrative demigods. Both Indra and Viṣṇu are worshiped by
yajña
performances. But here Arjuna asks who is actually the Lord of
yajña
(sacrifice), and how is the Lord residing within the body of the living entity.
Arjuna addresses the Lord as Madhusūdana because Kṛṣṇa once killed a demon named Madhu. Actually these questions, which are of the nature of doubts, should not have arisen in the mind of Arjuna because Arjuna is a Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee. Therefore these doubts are like demons. Since Kṛṣṇa is so expert in killing demons, Arjuna here addresses Him as Madhusūdana so that Kṛṣṇa might kill the demonic doubts that arise in Arjuna's mind.
Now the word
prayāṇa-kāle
in this verse is very significant because whatever we do in life will be tested at the time of death. Arjuna fears that at the time of death, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will forget the Supreme Lord because at such a time body functions are disrupted and the mind may be in a panic-stricken state. Therefore Mahārāja Kulaśekhara, a great devotee, prays, "My dear Lord, may I die immediately now that I'm healthy so that the swan of my mind may enter into the stem of Thy lotus feet." This metaphor is used because the swan often takes pleasure in entering the stem of the lotus flower-similarly, the mind of the pure devotee is drawn to the lotus feet of the Lord. Mahārāja Kulaśekhara fears that at the moment of death his throat will be so choked up that he will not be able to chant the holy names, so it is better to "die immediately." Arjuna questions how one's mind can remain fixed on Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet at such times.
Bg 8.3
TEXT 3
TEXT
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ
svabhāvo 'dhyātmam ucyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo
visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī bhagavān uvāca-
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;
akṣaram-
indestructible;
brahma-
Brahman;
paramam-
transcendental;
svabhāvaḥ-
eternal nature;
adhyātmam-
the self;
ucyate-
is called;
bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ-
action producing the material bodies of the living entities;
visargaḥ-
creation;
karma-
fruitive activities;
saṁjñitaḥ-
is called.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
Brahman is indestructible and eternally existing, and its constitution is not changed at any time. But beyond Brahman there is Parabrahman. Brahman refers to the living entity, and Parabrahman refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The constitutional position of the living entity is different from the position he takes in the material world. In material consciousness, his nature is to try to be the lord of matter, but in spiritual (Kṛṣṇa) consciousness, his position is to serve the Supreme. When the living entity is in material consciousness, he has to take on various bodies in the material world. That is called
karma,
or varied creation by the force of material consciousness.
In Vedic literature the living entity is called
jīvātmā
and Brahman, but he is never called Parabrahman. The living entity
(jīvātmā)
takes different positions-sometimes he merges into the dark material nature and identifies himself with matter, and sometimes he identifies himself with the superior spiritual nature. Therefore he is called the Supreme Lord's marginal energy. According to his identification with material or spiritual nature, he receives a material or spiritual body. In material nature he may take a body from any of the 8,400,000 species of life, but in spiritual nature he has only one body. In material nature he is sometimes manifested as a man, demigod, an animal, a beast, bird, etc., according to his
karma.
To attain material heavenly planets and enjoy their facilities, he sometimes performs sacrifices
(yajña),
but when his merit is exhausted, he returns to earth again in the form of a man.
In the process of sacrifice, the living entity makes specific sacrifices to attain specific heavenly planets and consequently reaches them. When the merit of sacrifice is exhausted, then the living entity descends to earth in the form of rain, then takes on the form of grains, and the grains are eaten by man and transformed into semen, which impregnates a woman, and thus the living entity once again attains the human form to perform sacrifice and so repeat the same cycle. In this way, the living entity perpetually comes and goes on the material path. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, avoids such sacrifices. He takes directly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thereby prepares himself to return to Godhead.
Impersonalist commentators on the
Gītā
unreasonably assume that Brahman takes the form of
jīva
in the material world, and to substantiate this they refer to Chapter Fifteen, verse 7, of the
Gītā.
But this verse also speaks of the living entity as "an eternal fragment of Myself." The fragment of God, the living entity, may fall down into the material world, but the Supreme Lord
(Acyuta)
never falls down. Therefore this assumption that the Supreme Brahman assumes the form of
jīva
is not acceptable. It is important to remember that in Vedic literature Brahman (the living entity) is distinguished from Parabrahman (the Supreme Lord).
Bg 8.4
TEXT 4
TEXT
adhibhūtaṁ kṣaro bhāvaḥ
puruṣaś cādhidaivatam
adhiyajño 'ham evātra
dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara
SYNONYMS
adhibhūtam-
the physical manifestation;
kṣaraḥ-
constantly changing;
bhāvaḥ-
nature;
puruṣaḥ-
the universal form;
ca-
and;
adhidaivatam-
including all demigods like the sun and moon;
adhiyajñaḥ-
the Supersoul;
aham-
I (Kṛṣṇa);
eva-
certainly;
atra-
in this;
dehe-
body;
deha-bhṛtām-
of the embodied;
vara-
the Supreme.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
The physical nature is constantly changing. Material bodies generally pass through six stages: they are born, they grow, they remain for some duration, they produce some by-products, they dwindle, and then they vanish. This physical nature is called
adhibhūtam.
Because it is created at a certain point and will be annihilated at a certain point, the conception of the universal form of the Supreme Lord that includes all the demigods and their different planets is called
adhidaivatam.
The individual soul
(jīva)
accompanies the body. The Supersoul, a plenary representation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is called the Paramātmā or
adhiyajña
and is situated in the heart. The word
eva
is particularly important in the context of this verse because by this word the Lord stresses that the Paramātmā is not different from Him. The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated beside the individual soul, is the witness of the individual soul's activities and is the source of consciousness. The Supersoul gives the
jīva
an opportunity to act freely, and He witnesses his activities. The functions of all these different manifestations of the Supreme Lord automatically become clarified for the pure Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee engaged in transcendental service of the Lord. The gigantic universal form of the Lord called
adhidaivatam
is contemplated by the neophyte who cannot approach the Supreme Lord in His manifestation as Supersoul. The neophyte is advised to contemplate the universal form whose legs are considered the lowet planets and whose eyes are considered the sun and moon, and whose head is considered the upper planetary system.
Bg 8.5
TEXT 5
TEXT
anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
SYNONYMS
anta-kāle-
at the end of life;
ca-
also;
mām-
unto Me;
eva-
certainly;
smaran-
remembering;
muktvā-
quitting;
kalevaram-
the body;
yaḥ-
he who;
prayāti-
goes;
saḥ-
he;
mad-bhāvam-
My nature;
yati-
achieves;
na-
not;
asti-
there is;
atra-
here;
saṁśayaḥ-
doubt.
TRANSLATION
And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
PURPORT
In this verse the importance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is stressed. Anyone who quits his body in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is at once transferred to the transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. The word
smaran
(remembering) is important. Remembrance of Kṛṣṇa is not possible for the impure soul who has not practiced Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service. To remember Kṛṣṇa one should chant the
mahāmantra,
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, incessantly, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, being more tolerant than the tree, humbler than the grass and offering all respect to others without requiring respect in return. In such a way one will be able to depart from the body successfully remembering Kṛṣṇa and so attain the supreme goal.