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    kiranmam2000
    Sep 30, 2020
    Edited: Sep 30, 2020

    Gita Chapter 8: Akshara Brahma Yoga. Summary and Slides

    in Bhagavad Gita

    Click Here for Lecture Video

    Click Here for study Material- Bhagavad Gita – Swami Paramarthananda Ebook


    Contributed By Dr T Hegde

    Recap... Chapter 7


    Chapter 1 to 6 (Prathama Shatakam)

    Jiva Svaroopa Imperishable, unlike body/mind

    Prayatna Self Effort & Free Will

    Karma Yoga Proper Action + Proper Attitude


    Chapter 1 to 6 Chapter 7 – 12 (Madhyama Shatakam)

    Jiva Svaroopa Imperishable, unlike body/mind Ishvara Swaroopa Para + Apara Prakriti

    Prayatna Self Effort & Free Will Ishvara Anugraha God’s Grace

    Karma Yoga Proper Action + Proper Attitude Upasana Yoga Meditation upon the Lord


    Svaroopa: Ishvara = Apara Prakriti + Para Prakriti

    Apara Prakriti Para Prakriti

    Matter Principle Consciousness Principle

    Beginningless, Never Created or Destroyed

    Changing, Perishing Unchanging, Imperishable

    Jnanam (Saguna) Vijnanam (Nirguna)


    Ishvara = Cause of Entire Universe

    •Manifests (not ‘creates’) as the universe

    •Effect (Universe) is not separate from the Cause (Ishvara) e.g. Furniture vs Wood

    •World is Isvara i.e. Apara + Para


    Cause of Human Misery

    •Reliance on Apara for permanent PHS

    •Mistake = Expecting Oil from Sand

    •Solution = Rely on Para

    •Rejection of Apara, not required

    •How? Through Bhakti (Surrender unto Him)






    Take home message

    •Ishvara = Para + Apara

    •Jnani is a Nishkama Bhakta

    •achieves Para Prakriti

    •achieves permanent Peace, Security & Happiness


    Akṣhara Brahma Yoga - Nature of God Chapter 08






    Knowing Life is Knowing Death

    Once you know what life is you will know what death is


    Ordinarily we think death comes at the end, Death is against life, Death is the enemy


    Death is not the enemy


    Death is integral part of life

    Life exists because of death


    Death is, in fact, a process of renewal


    Death also happens each moment


    breath is both Life and Death

    LIVE AND DIE MOMENT TO MOMENT


    If you understand Death/Life

    Out of fear, we have created a division

    We think that life is good and death is bad


    We think that Life has to be desired and Death is to be avoided


    We think somehow we have to protect ourselves against death and become incapable of living


    Living Involves Dying

    If you really want to live you have to be ready to die. Who is afraid of death in you?


    Ego is Afraid of Death/ Life

    life afraid of death?

    It is not possible

    How can life be afraid of its own integral process?

    Something else is afraid in you

    The ego is afraid in you


    Death Complements Life

    • Death and life are two polarities of the same energy

    • Death is not the end of life

    • It is a completion of one life

    • The crescendo of one life

    • The climax, the finale

    No beginning nor end

    It never ends, it never begins anywhere

    We are involved in eternity

    We have been here since the very beginning – if there was any beginning – and we are going to be here to the very end, if there is going to be any end.


    We are Life, we live in Eternity

    Forms, bodies, minds change


    What we call life is just an identification with a certain body, and what we call death is getting out of that form, body, out of that concept


    If you get too identified

    You change houses

    If you get too identified with one house, then changing the house will be very painful


    Eternal non ending Atma in You

    Those who have looked within themselves, those who have found who they are, come to know an eternal, non-ending process


    Are you aware of your real self

    We are completely oblivious of your transcendence, of your real nature, of your authentic being


    The real sadness is this: we don’t know who we are



    Death is beautiful only for those…

    •Who have lived their life unhindered, uninhibited and unsuppressed

    •Who have not been afraid to live, who loved and who have celebrated


    The Art of Living / Dying

    All religions teach or an art the teach you how to die


    And the only way to teach you how to die is to teach you how to live


    Live your Life

    Your life is your life


    So don’t allow yourself to be dominated by others


    If you allow yourself to be dominated by others you will miss your life


    The pure ‘existence’ is what we call godliness “Sat”

    The pure ‘existence’ is what we call godliness


    If you can understand your inner divinity, you have understood what life is


    This is the message of all Masters – that you are God, you are divine.


    Once you have understood it, then there is no death


    Arjuna uvāca

    kiṃ tad-Brahma kimadhyātmaṃ kiṃ karma puruṣōttama|

    adhibhūtaṃ ca kiṃ prōktam adhidaivaṃ kimucyatē||8.1||

    Arjuna asked –What is that Brahman? What is adhyatmam? What is Karma? What is said to be adhibhūta? What is said to be adhidaiva, O Krishna!


    adhiyajñaḥ kathaṃ kō'tra dēhē'smin madhusūdana |

    prayāṇakālē ca kathaṃ jñēyō'si niyatātmabhiḥ || 8.2 |

    Who is adhiyajñaḥ? How does (he remain) here in the body? And how are you to be remembered at the time of death by the self-disciplined ones, Oh Madusudana.


    adhibhūtaṃ kṣarō bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam |

    adhiyajñō'hamēvātra dēhē dēhabhṛtāṃ vara || 8.4 ||


    The perishable creation is adhibhuta and Hiranyagarbha is adhidaiva. I myself, (who reside), in this body, am adhiyajñā. O Arjuna, the best of the embodied.


    What is Brahman?

    • Brahman is the greatest (paramam) Imperishable (akṣaram)

    •The Consciousness principle

    •Brahman is derived from the root Bṛh which means big, that which is superlatively big

    •This chapter is called Akṣara-Brahma-Yogaḥ


    What is Adhyātmam?

    •The all-pervading Consciousness within the body

    •Adhi-ātmam means obtaining within the body

    •The Consciousness when seen as the totality is Brahman

    •Jiva is adhyātma (micro)


    What is Karma?

    One’s birth is the result of previous karma

    (in this verse referred to as visargaḥ);

    The present creation is the result of past action.

    What is Adhibhūtam?

    Every perishable entity is adhibhūtam. Anything that is experienced in the material world come under this category.


    What is Adhidaivam?

    According to the śāstras, Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ is the total of all the subtle bodies is in the universe

    Krishna defines adhidaivam as Puruṣaḥ

    Puruṣaḥ here means Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ


    What is Adhiyajña?

    Krishna says that He is Adhiyajña

    This means Īśvara is Adhiyajña

    The Lord resides in everybody. He is called Narayana

    Nāram means living being. Ayanam means residence

    Why is he known as Adhiyajña?

    He is associated with every action (Yajña)

    He is the giver of the result (phalam)


    No one is there

    I was there


    1.What is Brahman?

    2.What is adhyātmam?

    3.What is karma?

    4.What is the meaning of adhibhūtam

    5.What is referred to as adhidaivam

    6.Who (or what) is Adhiyajña?

    7.How does Adhiyajña reside in the body?

    8.What is the significance of remembering God at the time of death?

    9.How can a person remember God at the time of death?



    Aksharbramhayoga CHAPTER 8 – SHLOKA 5,12

    Contributed By Dr Minal


    Arjuna’s 7th question – antakale ishwar smaranam – How and why?


    The method of krama mukti


    Method of karma mukti

    Sagun ishwar upasana : sakam and nishkam upasanas.

    Sadyomukti/jeevanmukti or akrama mukti: instant ie here and now.

    Krama mukti: Stepwise mukti after death in Bramhaloka.

    An upasak can never get moksha until nirgun ishwar jnan is obtained.



    Why is antakala/prayankalishwarsmaranam important?

    Antakale ishwar smaranam is a sure way to attain moksha/ ishwar aikyam.

    How to ensure antakala ishwarsmaranam?

    Nitya Ishwar smaranam & yogabhyasa is the best way of ensuring antakala Ishwar smaranam




    CHAPTER 8 – SHLOKA 15

    Contributed By Dr Ravishankar


    māmupētya punarjanma duḥkhālayamaśāśvatam.

    nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṅsiddhiṅ paramāṅ gatāḥ৷৷8.15৷৷

    Human goal









    CHAPTER 8 – VERSE 23-26

    Contributed By Dr Suman

    Two Routes





    Two paths

    •Śukla mārga / gati: Bright path à leads to GOD.

    •Kṛṣṇa mārga / gati: Dark/gloomy path.

    •Heaven once punya is exhausted come back to earth.


    •The next 2 verses, Krishna explains the bright and dark paths.


    SUKḶA MĀRGA

    The 5 devatās guiding on śukla mārga

    1. Agniḥ (fire),

    2. jyotiḥ (brightness/light),

    3. ahaḥa (day),

    4. śuklaḥ (bright lunar fortnight. Lunar phase in month.)

    5. Uttarāyaṇa: (northern phase of sun)

    agnirjōtirahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam |

    tatra prayātā gacchanti brahmavidō janāḥ || 8.24 ||


    Who is entitled for śuklamārga?

    •Brahmavidaḥ janāḥ; the saguṇa Īśvara upāsakaḥ

    •Merely performing rituals/charity à only kṛṣṇa mārga.

    •What about jñāni? No ticket to krama mukti, because have attained liberation here and now

    CONCLUSION: śukla mārga is not for karmi’s nor jñāni’s. Only for: saguṇa Īśvara upāsakās.


    kṛṣṇa-mārga

    •Who goes to kṛṣṇa-mārga (darker/gloomy path)??.

    •Here ‘yogi’ refers to physical oriented karma-yogi. Ritualistic people.

    •Reach Svarga loka.

    •The 4 devatās of kṛiṣna mārga

    1. Dhūmaḥ:

    2. Rātriḥ: night.

    3. Kṛṣṇaḥ: dark fortnight.

    4. Dakṣiṇāyana: Southern phase of sun.

    dhūmō rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam |

    tatra cāndramasaṃ jyōtiryōgī prāpya nivartatē || 8.25 ||


    . śuklakṛṣṇē gatī hyēt

    Two paths called śukla gatiḥ & kṛṣṇa

    gatiḥ, refers to maarga NOT TIME

    . jagataḥ śāśvatē matē

    Created along with Universe

    śuklakṛṣṇē gatī hyētē jagataḥ śāśvatē matē |

    ēkayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayā''vartatē punaḥ || 8.26 ||






    CHAPTER 8 – SHLOKA 27

    The 2 Travellers

    Contributed By Dr Sunder








    Dhyana Sloka 7

    Contributed By Smt Aruna

    DHYANA SHLOKA - 7






    Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-IdamPuurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate

    PuurnnasyaPuurnnam-AadaayaPuurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||

    Om ShaantihShaantihShaantih ||

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