Akshara Brahma Yoga (अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः)

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Akshara Brahma Yoga (Samskrit: अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः) is the commonly given title to the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. This chapter talks about the radiant, imperishable divine reality who is beyond all things manifest and unmanifest, names and forms and which is the highest goal to be attained in the human life.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

The previous chapter spoke about union with the Supreme being. In continuation to that discussion, Sri Krishna in this chapter, explains that all beings, including even the deities, repeatedly come into being in this created universe from the state of unmanifest being wherein they remained at the end of an age-cycle. However, the Supreme being exists even beyond this unmanifest state. And those who attain union with the Supreme being do not have to come again into this impermanent world of sorrow and pain. Therefore, that radiant, imperishable Divine Reality is the highest goal to be attained and single-minded devotion of our heart is the means of attaining this highest state.

अध्यायसारः ॥ Summary of the Eighth Chapter

Arjuna in this chapter, asks Sri Krishna about the meaning of the different terms referred to by Him in the last two verses of the previous chapter. He wishes to know what is the Supreme Being, what is Karma (action) that He refers to, the elements and the centre of all things within this human body, etc

• The Supreme being

Sri Krishna says, beyond all things manifest and unmanifest, beyond these names and forms, there is the Supreme Being—Brahman. That brahman dwells in this body as the centre of all things, including our own self (atma). We are an adhyatmik being residing within this body supported by the Antaryami.

• The Secret of eternal bliss

Attaining unity with the supreme reality thereby freeing oneself from the bondage of birth and death is the subject matter in this chapter. Talking of the journey beyond the physical world, it is said that, even though the departure is seen as both an auspicious as well as an inauspicious circumstance, if one steadily abides in the thoughts of the Supreme being with unwavering shraddha and bhakti, then these conditions do not matter. Because, by always remaining in tune with the Supreme through pure love, everything is made auspicious. When one remains ever united with the Divine through deep devotion, constant remembrance, regular meditation and continuous communion, then all times, places, conditions and situations become auspicious and blessed. And this is the secret of invoking His Grace for attaining Him that leads to eternal freedom and bliss. And worship, prayer and offering to the deities with shraddha and bhakti constitute actions that lead to blessedness.

Thus, the secret of reaching the Divine Being is to constantly practise unbroken remembrance of the Supreme at all times, in all places and even amidst one’s daily activities. Accustomed to such steady remembrance of the Supreme through regular daily Sadhana, one will be rooted in His remembrance even at the time of departing from this body. Thus, his departure will take him beyond darkness and bondage to attain the realm of eternal blessedness.

Such concentrated remembrance of the divine is possible with practise of sense-control. The senses must be well disciplined so that there is gradual withdrawal from material objects and the mind is channelised towards the supreme being dwelling within. And chanting of Om or any Divine Name as a regular practice (sadhana) daily, brings one closer to the goal of attaining the Supreme.

Verses

ॐ

श्रीपरमात्मने नमः

अथाष्टमोऽध्यायः

अर्जुन उवाच

किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम । अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥८- १॥

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.

In this chapter Shri Krishna answers different questions from Arjune, beginning with "What is Brahman?" The Lord also explains karma (fruitive activities), devotional service and yoga principles, and devotional service in its pure form. Arjuna also inquires about atma, which refers to body, soul and mind. Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as Purushottama, 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.

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन । प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥८- २॥

Who is the Lord of Yajna, and how does He live in the body ? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death ?

Here, Arjuna asks who is actually the Lord of Yajna and how the Lord is residing within the body of the living entity. At the time of death all the bodily functions are disrupted, and the mind is not in a proper condition. Thus disturbed by the bodily situation, one may not be able to remember the Supreme Lord. Arjuna questions how a person can fix his mind on Krshna's lotus feet at such a time.

Clarification of Concepts

श्रीभगवानुवाच

Brahman and Karma

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते । भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ॥८- ३॥

Bhagavan said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called adhyatma, the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma, or fruitive activities.

When a 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.

The living entity or Jivatma takes different positions and 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 84,00,000 species of life and is manifested sometimes as a man, demigod, animal, beast, bird, etc. according to his karma. To attain material heavenly planets and enjoy their facilities, he sometimes performs yajnas, but when his merit is exhausted he returns to earth again in the form of a man. This process is called karma.

As described in the Chandogya Upanishad, 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, 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.

Adhibhuta Adhidaiva and Adhiyajna

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् । अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥८- ४॥

O best of the embodies beings, the physical nature, which is constantly changing is called adhibhuta (the material manifestation). The universal form of the Lord, which includes all the demigods, like those of the Sun and moon, is called adhidaiva. And I, the Supreme Lord, represented as the Supersoul in the heart of every embodied being, am called adhiyajna (the Lord of sacrifice).

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 adhibhuta. It is created at a certain point and will be annihilated at a certain point.

And present in the body along with the individual soul is the Supersoul. The Supersoul seated beside the individual soul is the witness of the individual soul's activities and is the source of the soul's various types of consciousness. The supersoul gives the individual soul an opportunity to act freely and witness his activities.

The gigantic universal form of the Lord called adhidaiva 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, or virat-purusha, whose legs are consiered the lower planets, whose eyes are considered the Sun and moon, and whose head is considered the upper planetary system.

The final state

अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम् । यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥८- ५॥

And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering me alone, at once attains my nature. Of this there is no doubt.

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् । तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः ॥८- ६॥

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.

Nature of Smarana Bhakti

तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च । मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥८- ७॥

अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना । परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् ॥८- ८॥

Nature of the Supreme Being

कविं पुराणमनुशासितारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः । सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूपमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ॥८- ९॥

Method of Smarana

प्रयाणकाले मनसाचलेन भक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव । भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्स तं परं पुरुषमुपैति दिव्यम् ॥८- १०॥

यदक्षरं वेदविदो वदन्ति विशन्ति यद्यतयो वीतरागाः । यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये ॥८- ११॥

सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च । मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥८- १२॥

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन् । यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥८- १३॥

अनन्यचेताः सततं यो मां स्मरति नित्यशः । तस्याहं सुलभः पार्थ नित्ययुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥८- १४॥

Fruit of attaining the Supreme Being

मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दुःखालयमशाश्वतम् । नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः संसिद्धिं परमां गताः ॥८- १५॥

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन । मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥८- १६॥

Cycle of the Universe

सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तमहर्यद्ब्रह्मणो विदुः । रात्रिं युगसहस्रान्तां तेऽहोरात्रविदो जनाः ॥८- १७॥

अव्यक्ताद्व्यक्तयः सर्वाः प्रभवन्त्यहरागमे । रात्र्यागमे प्रलीयन्ते तत्रैवाव्यक्तसंज्ञके ॥८- १८॥

भूतग्रामः स एवायं भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयते । रात्र्यागमेऽवशः पार्थ प्रभवत्यहरागमे ॥८- १९॥

परस्तस्मात्तु भावोऽन्योऽव्यक्तोऽव्यक्तात्सनातनः । यः स सर्वेषु भूतेषु नश्यत्सु न विनश्यति ॥८- २०॥

अव्यक्तोऽक्षर इत्युक्तस्तमाहुः परमां गतिम् । यं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥८- २१॥

पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया । यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥८- २२॥

यत्र काले त्वनावृत्तिमावृत्तिं चैव योगिनः । प्रयाता यान्ति तं कालं वक्ष्यामि भरतर्षभ ॥८- २३॥

अग्निर्ज्योतिरहः शुक्लः षण्मासा उत्तरायणम् । तत्र प्रयाता गच्छन्ति ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥८- २४॥

धूमो रात्रिस्तथा कृष्णः षण्मासा दक्षिणायनम् । तत्र चान्द्रमसं ज्योतिर्योगी प्राप्य निवर्तते ॥८- २५॥

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते । एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः ॥८- २६॥

Path founded in devotional service

नैते सृती पार्थ जानन्योगी मुह्यति कश्चन । तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु योगयुक्तो भवार्जुन ॥८- २७॥

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव दानेषु यत् पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् । अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥८- २८॥

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे अक्षरब्रह्मयोगो नामाष्टमोऽध्यायः ॥८॥