A Study of the Bhagavadgita :11.1 - Swami Krishnananda.

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Monday, April 24, 2022. 20:00.

Chapter 11: Beholding God as He Beholds Himself-1.

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The Lord made a reference to certain items which stimulated the mind of Arjuna, on account of which he raised certain questions. The concluding verses of the Seventh Chapter are as follows: 

jarāmaraṇamokṣāya mām āśritya yatanti ye, te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam (Gita 7.29); 

sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyaj–aṁ ca ye viduḥ, prayāṇakālepi ca māṁ te vidur yuktacetasaḥ (Gita 7.30).

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The words are :

jarāmaraṇamokṣāya : for freedom from old age and death; 

mām āśritya yatanti ye : whoever puts forth effort depending on Me as their final refuge; 

te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam : they know the Absolute's real nature; 

adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam : they also know what adhyatma is, and what karma is; 

sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyaj–aṁ ca ye viduḥ : they know Me as adhibhuta,

 adhiyajna, and then they remember Me at the time of passing.

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Seven items were mentioned here, but they were only words without any explanation. 

Immediately Arjuna raised questions : 

"What are these things that you are talking about : Brahma, adhyatma, adhibhuta, adhiyajna, karma? What are all these things?"

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The answers to these questions which occur at the beginning of the Eighth Chapter comprise the whole of the chapter. 

Arjuna asks : Kiṁ tad brahma (Gita 8.1)  : What do you mean by Brahma? 

Kim adhyātmaṁ : What is Atman? 

Kiṁ karma : What is karma? 

Adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam : What do you mean by adhibhuta? 

Adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate : What is the meaning of adhidaiva? 

Adhiyaj–aḥ kathaṁ kotra (Gita 8.2) : Adhiyajna is also to be explained. What is 

the meaning of it? 

Prayāṇakāle ca : At the time of passing from this world; 

kathaṁ j–eyosi : how are we to remember You? 

There are seven questions. 

Mostly the answers are brief, though the answer to the last point as to the process of departure from this world is a little detailed.

"What is Brahma?" was one question of Arjuna. 

Akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ (Gita 8.3) : The Imperishable Reality is called Brahman.

By a study of the chapters of the Gita from the First until the Seventh, we have gathered some idea as to what this imperishably is: 

the spaceless and timeless Absolute Being is called Imperishable Brahman. 

Svabhāvodhyātmam ucyate : 

Adhyatma is individual nature. Your own basic characteristic of personality may be regarded as adhyatma in its total signification.

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To be continued ....

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