Arjuna said:
O Purushottama, what is that Brahman, what is Adhyatma and what is Karma? What is described to be Adhibhuta and what is spoken of as Adhidaivata ? O Madhusudhana, in this body who is Adhiyagna and how? And how at the time of departing i.e death are you to be known by those who have controlled their mind ?
8-1,2
Sri Bhagavan said:
Brahman is the supreme Aksara. Adhyatma is what is attached to the Jiva viz body, organs of sense and mind. Karma constitutes the act of creation by the Lord of Bhuta and Bhavana i.e Jivas inanimate matter.
8-3
O the best of the living beings, Adhibhuta is the perishable matter which is the adjunct and the vehicle of the embodied soul; Adhidaivata is Purusa. In this body attached to Jivas it is only I who am called Adhiyajna.
8-4
Whoever at the time of death shuffles off his body and departs thinking of me alone, attains the state of being in me. There is no doubt about this.
8-5
O Kunti's son; Whatever object a dying man thinks of at the time of leaving his body, he goes to or attains that object on account of persistent thought of that particular thing only.
8-6
Therefore, at all times think of Me and fight. Having set your mind and heart on me, you will doubtless come to me.
8-7
O Partha, with the mind accustomed to constant practice, not wandering away from God and after other things, he who constantly meditates on the supreme Divine Purusha goes to Him.
8-8
He, who, at the time of death, meditates with a steady mind and devotion, having focused Prana (life-breath) between the eye-brows, on that exalted person, Omniscient, Ancient, ruler of all, minutest of the minute, Supporter of all, having form which is incomprehensible in full, who is as bright as the son and beyond darkness, reaches the supreme divine person.
8-9,10
That which those versed in the Vedas assert is indestructible; which ascetics who are free from passion enter and desiring which people practice brahmacharya, that I now briefly declare to you.
8-11
He, who restraining all the sensory channels of the body with the mind concentrated on Narayana, his life-breath transfixed in Brahmarandra in the head and reciting the monosyllabic `Aum' constantly meditates on me, while departing from his body, attains the highest goal.
8-12,13
O Partha, he who constantly thinks of Me without thinking of anything else such a Yogi who is always engaged in meditating on me easily reaches me.
8-14
Those great souls that have attained final liberation having come to me are freed from re-birth which is seat of sorrow and transitoriness.
8-15
O Arjuna, all the worlds barring the seat of Brahma in Mount Meru, the Jnanaloka and beyond are subject to return to transmigratory life but he that reaches Me, O Kunti's Son has no re-birth in the lower regions.
8-16
Those who know that the day of Brahma is of many thousands of ages and that the night also a many thousands of ages long, are the knowers of real day and night.
8-17
From the unmanifest Brahman all the manifest spring forth at cosmic dawn and at the time of cosmic night they are withdrawn into the self same unmanifest, Brahman.
8-18
This multitude of beings born again and again goes to dissolution under the power of the Lord, O Partha at the coming of night and again comes into being at the time of day.
8-19
But the supreme, the Unmanifest, is radically different from the Manifested. He is eternal and does not perish when all beings perish.
8-20
The Unmanifest is called Imperishable and is spoken of as the supreme goal. Those who reach it return not and that is my supreme nature.
8-21
O Partha, the Supreme person in whom all beings abide and by whom all this world is pervaded, can be reached only by unswerving devotion.
8-22
O the foremost of the Bharatas, I shall tell you the time and manner wherein the Yogis going forth do not return and also that wherein going forth they return.
8-23
Those Knowers of Brahman who at the time of leaving their physical bodies pass over the paths named by Agni, Jyoti, the god of day time, the god of the bright half of the month during the six months of Uttarayana go forth to Brahman.
8-24
Those Yogis who at their death proceed along regions presided over by the god of smoke, the god of night, the God of the dark half of the month during the six months of Dakshinayana having reached the light of moon, return to this earth.
8-25
The path of light and path of darkness are the paths of the world of Jnana Yogi and Karma yogi respectively. These paths are eternal. By the first the Brahma Jnanin reaches the state from which there is no return; by the other karma yogi returns to earth.
8-26
O Partha, the Yogi who knows these paths does not become deluded. Therefore, O Arjuna, at all times practice with devotion to Lord, the Nivrtta Karma enjoined upon the Varna and Ashrama in which you are stationed.
8-27
Having known the nature and meaning of Adhyatma and other connected matters, the omnipotence of the Lord and the realization of Brahman and the two paths, the yogi attains virtue which transcends the fruits secured by the study of Vedas, the performance of sacrifices, austerities and charities and attains the supreme and eternal state - Moksha the abode of the Lord.
8-28
Thus ends the eighth chapter of the Upanishads of the Bhagavad Gita entitled "The Akshara Brahma Yoga".
