अर्जुन उवाच |
किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम |
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते || 1||
अधियज्ञ: कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन |
प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभि: || 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
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: O Supreme Lord, what is Brahman (Absolute Reality), what is adhyatma (the individual soul), and what is karma? What is said to be adhibhuta, and who is said to be Adhidaiva? Who is Adhiyajna in the body and how is He the Adhiyajna? O Krishna, how are You to be known at the time of death by those of steadfast mind?
Commentary:
The Lord answers the first six questions briefly and elaborates His answer to the last in this Discourse.
- What is Brahman?
- What is Adhyatma?
- What is Karma?
- What is Adhibhuta?
- What is Adhidaiva?
- What is Adhiyajna?
- How and in what manner is the Lord known by the self-controlled at the time of death?
—–
DEVOTEE’S VISION AT THE TIME OF DEATH
Natesa Iyer was one of them. He announced one day, “On the sixteenth day from now, I shall die.” He repeated this statement daily and began a countdown of the days left for him to die by announcing loudly, ‘fifteen days, fourteen days…’ and so on! Although the other devotees did not believe him, one or two happened to be with him on the sixteenth day when he left the body. They heard him say during his final moments, “Bhagavan has come in front of me. He is sitting here.” Beholding his Beloved Lord with ecstasy in his eyes, he dropped the body! Thus, for a real devotee, death becomes a grand celebration.
In the Bhagavata, we see Parikshit waiting for seven days for his death, and what a remarkable death he had! Before dropping the body, he declared, “I have attained. I am illumined. I am blessed. My ignorance is removed, and perfect knowledge and perfect establishment in the Self has occurred. Now I do not fear death in any form. O Lord, O Master! You have revealed to me that state of fearlessness.”* Saying this, he sat in samādhi and dropped his body. This is the kind of death a seeker aspires for. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Elixir of Eternal Wisdom | Vol 1)
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 8 🔻 (28 Verses)
