His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder Acharya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness
ISKCON Mathuradesh Essential Teachings of Bhagavad Gita
Mangalacarana
oà ajïäna-timirändhasya jïänäïjana-çaläkayä
cakñur unmélitaà yena tasmai çré-gurave namaù

çré-caitanya-mano-'bhéñöaà sthäpitaà yena bhü-tale

svayaà rüpaù kadä mahyaà dadäti sva-padäntikam

vande 'haà çré-guroù çré-yuta-pada-kamalaà çré-gurün vaiñëaväàç ca

çré-rüpaà sägrajätaà saha-gaëa-raghunäthänvitaà taà sa-jévam
sädvaitaà sävadhütaà parijana-sahitaà kåñëa-caitanya-devaà
çré-rädhä-kåñëa-pädän saha-gaëa-lalitä-çré-viçäkhänvitäàç ca

he kåñëa karuëä-sindho déna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeça gopikä-känta rädhä-känta namo 'stu te

tapta-käïcana-gauräìgi rädhe våndävaneçvari

våñabhänu-sute devi praëamämi hari-priye

väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca

patitänäà pävanebhyo vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù

çré-kåñëa-caitanya prabhu-nityänanda
çré-advaita gadädhara çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda

hare kåñëa hare kåñëa kåñëa kåñëa hare hare

hare räma hare räma räma räma hare hare
JEWELS FROM THE BOX
8.1,2
Ask, But the right questions

8.5 – 8.8
Art of Living is all about art of
Leaving
8.14
Love makes remembrance
spontaneous

8.15
Return to the unreturnable

8.28
Better than the Best
Chapter 8
Overview

1. What is brahman?
2. What is the adhyatma?
3. What is karma? (Is karma fruitive or
spiritual activity?)
4. What is adhibhuta (the materialmanifestation)?
5. Who is the adhidaiva?
6. Who is adhiyajna, the Lord of sacrifices?
7. How is adhiyajna known in the body?
8. How to know Krsna at the time of death?
1. Brahman is the indestructible living entity.
2. Adhyatma is the living entity's nature or impressions
that accompany the jiva & govern the body.
3. Karma is the reactions that force the living entity to
take a material body in world.
4. Adhibhuta is the ever changing material nature.
5. He who presides over all the demigods and their
planets is the adhidevata, the
Universal Form of the Lord.
6. Krsna, as the Supersoul,
7. Is within everyone's heart and as the regulator I
inspire performance of sacrifices and other acts
8 This is the main subject discussed in the rest of this
chapter
 anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ 8.5

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.
 yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ 8.6

Whatever state of being one remembers

when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī,
that state he will attain without fail.
 tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
mām anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir
mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ 8.7

Therefore, Arjuna, you should

always think of Me in the form
of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time
carry out your prescribed duty
of fighting. With your activities
dedicated to Me and your mind
and intelligence fixed on Me,
you will attain Me without
doubt.
 abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
cetasā nānya-gāminā
paramaṁ puruṣaṁ divyaṁ
yāti pārthānucintayan 8.8

He who meditates on Me as the

Supreme Personality of
Godhead, his mind constantly
engaged in remembering Me,
undeviated from the path, he, O
Pārtha, is sure to reach Me.
 ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ
yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ
tasyāhaṁ su-labhaḥ pārtha
nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ 8.14

For one who always remembers Me

without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O
son of Pṛthā, because of his constant
engagement in devotional service.
 mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ 8.15

After attaining Me, the great souls,

who are yogīs in devotion, never
return to this temporary world,
which is full of miseries, because
they have attained the highest
perfection.
 ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ’rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate 8.16
From the highest planet in the
material world down to the lowest, all
are places of misery wherein repeated
birth and death take place. But one
who attains to My abode, O son of
Kuntī, never takes birth again.
 vedeñu yajïeñu tapaùsu caiva
däneñu yat puëya-phalaà pradiñöam
atyeti tat sarvam idaà viditvä
yogé paraà sthänam upaiti cädyam
A person who accepts the path of devotional
service is not bereft of the results derived from
studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices,
undergoing austerities, giving charity or pursuing
philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by
performing devotional service, he attains all
these, and at the end he reaches the supreme
eternal abode. 8.28
JEWELS FROM THE BOX
8.1,2
Ask, But the right questions

8.5 – 8.8
Art of Living is all about art of
Leaving

8.14
Love makes the remembrance
spontaneous

8.15
Return to the unreturnable

8.28
Better than the Best
anta-kāle ca mām eva ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ vedeṣu yajneṣu tapaḥsu caiva
smaran muktvā kalevaram punar āvartino ’rjuna dāneṣu yat puṇya-phalaṁ pradiṣṭam
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ mām upetya tu kaunteya atyeti tat sarvam idaṁ viditvā
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ 8.5 punar janma na vidyate 8.16 yogī paraṁ sthānam upaiti cādyam 8.28

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ

tyajaty ante kalevaram bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ 8.6 prabhavaty ahar-āgame 8.19

ananya-cetāḥ satataṁ paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo

yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ ’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
tasyāhaṁ su-labhaḥ pārtha yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ 8.14 naśyatsu na vinaśyati 8.20

mām upetya punar janma avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ yaṁ prāpya na nivartante
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ 8.15 tad dhāma paramaṁ mama 8.21