BG 8 (1968)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
VIII
ATTAINING THE SUPREME
1: ARJUNA INQUIRED: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What are fruitive activities? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demigods? Kindly explain to me.
PURPORT
IN THIS EIGHTH CHAPTER, Lord Krishna answers different questions, beginning with What is Brahman? The Lord also explains Karmayoga, devotional service and Yoga principles, and devotional service in its pure form. The Srimad Bhagwatam explains that the Supreme Absolute Truth is known as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. The living entity, the individual soul, is also called Brahman, or spirit. Arjuna also inquires about Atma, which refers to body, soul, and mind. According to the Vedic dictionary, Atma refers to the mind, soul, body, and senses also. Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as Purushottam, which means that he was asking all his questions not as a friend but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; and, as such, Krishna is perfectly well informed. Therefore, as Arjuna expected, the right answers will be received from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What is the material manifestation of the gigantic universal form, or of this bodily form? What is the manifestation of the demigods, who are entrusted in different material affairs by the Supreme Lord through the agency of Brahma?
2: How does this Lord of sacrifice live in the body, and in which part does He live, O Madhusudana? And how can those engaged in devotional service know You at the time of death?
PURPORT
VISHNU IS THE HEAD of the primal demigods, including Brahma and Shiva; and Indra is the head of the administrative demigods. Both Indra and Vishnu are worshiped. But Arjuna's inquiry is: Who is actually the Lord of Yajna, sacrifice, and how is it that the Lord of Yajna is residing within the body of the living entity? Again, Arjuna addresses the Lord as Madhusudana, the Killer of the Madhu demon. Actually, the questions which have arisen in the mind of Arjuna regarding these six items should not have been there. These doubts are like demons, and Krishna is expert in killing demons.
Whatever we do will be tested at the time of death, and so Arjuna is very anxious to know of those who are constantly engaged in Krishna consciousness: What should be their position at that final moment? At the time of death all body functions become dislocated and the mind is not in proper condition. Thus disturbed by the bodily situation, one cannot even remember the Supreme Lord. A great devotee, Maharaj Kulashekhar, used to pray as follows: "My dear Lord, just now I am quite healthy, and it is better that I die immediately so that the swan of my mind can seek entrance at the stem of Your Lotus Feet." The allegory is that the swan, a bird of the water, takes pleasure in digging into the lotus flowers. Its sporting proclivity is to enter the lotus flower. Maharaj Kulashekhar said to the Lord, "If my mind is not now in a disturbed condition, and I am quite healthy; and if I die immediately, thinking of Your Lotus Feet, then I am sure that my performance of Your devotional service has become perfect. But if I have to wait for my natural death, then I do not know what will happen; because at that time the bodily functions will be all dislocated, and my throat will be choked up with cough, and I do not know whether I shall be able to chant Your Name. Better let me die immediately." The question put forward by Arjuna is similar to this question: How can a person who is constantly Krishna conscious fix his mind to Your Lotus Feet?
3: The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: The indestructible, transcendental, living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called the self. And action pertaining to the development of these material bodies is called Karma, or fruitive activities.
PURPORT
INDESTRUCTIBLE MEANS that which is eternally existing, and there is no change in its constitution; which truth is called Brahman. But beside Brahman there is Parabrahman, the Supreme Truth, or spirit. Brahman means the living entity, and Parabrahman is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The living entity's constitutional position is different from the position he takes in the material world. In the material world, in material consciousness, his nature is to lord it over Nature; but when he is in spiritual nature he is in Krishna consciousness. A living entity is to be understood as pure when he is Krishna conscious. But when the living entity is in material consciousness, then he has to take different kinds of bodies in this world, and that is called karma, or varied creation by the force of material consciousness.
4: The physical Nature is known to be endlessly mutable. The universe is the cosmic Form of the Supreme Lord, and I am that Lord represented as the Supersoul, dwelling in the heart of every embodied being.
5: Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this.
6: In whatever condition one quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state of being without fail.
7: Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me, and at the same time you should continue your prescribed duty and fight. With your mind and activities always fixed on Me, and everything engaged in Me, you will attain to Me without any doubt.
PURPORT
THIS INSTRUCTION to Arjuna is very important for all men engaged in material activities: The Lord does not say that one should give up his prescribed duties or engagements. One can continue them, and at the same time think of Krishna by chanting Hare Krishna. This will free one from material contamination, and will engage the mind and intelligence in Krishna. By chanting Krishna's Names, one will be transferred to the Supreme Planet, Krishnaloka, without a doubt.
8: By practicing this remembering, without being deviated, thinking ever of the Supreme Godhead, one is sure to achieve the planet of the Divine, the Supreme Personality, O son of Kunti.
9: Think of the Supreme Person as One Who knows everything, Who is the Oldest, Who is the Controller, Who is smaller than the smallest, the Maintainer of everything beyond any material conception, inconceivable, and always a Person. He is luminous like the sun, beyond this material Nature, transcendental.
PURPORT
THE PROCESS OF THINKING of the Supreme is mentioned in this verse: The foremost point is that He is not impersonal or void. One cannot meditate on something impersonal or void. That is very difficult. The process of thinking of Krishna, however, is very easy, as is factually stated here. He is the oldest Personality because He is the Origin of everything; everything is born out of Him. He is also the Supreme Controller of the universe, the Maintainer and Instructor of humanity. He is smaller than the smallest. The living entity is one ten-thousandth the tip of a hair in size; but the Lord is so inconceivably small that He enters into the heart of this particle. As the Supreme, He can enter the atom and into the heart of the smallest, and control him as the Supersoul. Although so small, He is still all-pervading and maintains everything. By Him all these planetary systems are sustained. It is stated here that the Supreme Lord, by His inconceivable energy, is sustaining all these big planets and systems of galaxies. The word acintya, inconceivable, in this verse is very significant. God's energy is beyond our conception, beyond our thinking jurisdiction, and is therefore called inconceivable. Who can argue this point? He pervades this material Nature and yet is beyond it. We cannot even comprehend this material world, which is insignificant compared to the spiritual world—so how can we comprehend what is beyond? Acintya means that which is beyond this world, that which our argument, logic, and philosophical speculation cannot touch. Therefore, intelligent persons, avoiding useless argument and speculation, should accept what is stated in scriptures like the Vedas, The Gita, and The Srimad Bhagwatam, and follow the principles they set down. This will lead to understanding.
10: One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows, and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
11: Learned persons and great sages in the renounced order enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection of life, one practices celibacy, which process I shall now explain to you as the means for attaining salvation.
12: The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses, and fixing the mind on the heart, and the air of life on the top of the head, one establishes this situation.
13: After being situated in this Yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable, Om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Lord, and thus quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planet.
14: For anyone who is without deviation in remembering Me, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pritha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.
15: The great Mahatmas, yogis in devotion, after achieving Me never come back to this temporary world, so full of miseries, because they attain to the highest perfection.
PURPORT
THE MATERIAL WORLD is full of miseries, specifically birth, death, old age, and disease. It is also temporary. One who goes to the planet of Krishna called Goloka Vrindaban has achieved the highest perfection; and, naturally, he does not wish to come back to this unhappy place. This spiritual planet is described in the Vedic literature: It is inexplicable, beyond our material vision; but it is the highest Goal, the destination for great souls who are known as Mahatmas. They receive the transcendental message from realized devotees, and thus gradually develop devotional service, Krishna consciousness, and become so absorbed in transcendental loving service that they lose all desire for elevation to any material planets; neither do they seek transference to any spiritual planet. They want only Krishna and Krishna's Association—nothing else. That is the highest perfection of life. This verse specifically mentions the personalist devotees of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. These devotees in Krishna consciousness achieve the highest perfection of life; in other words, they are the supreme souls.
16: From the highest planet in the material world, down to the lowest, all are places of misery, where repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My Abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.
PURPORT
ALL YOGIS ARE meant to attain this highest perfection of Bhakti, and when it is said that the yogis do not come again to this material world, it means that when they achieve devotional perfection in Bhaktiyoga, or Krishna consciousness, it is possible for them to go transcendentally into the spiritual world, and they never come back. Those who attain to the highest material planets, the planets of the demigods, will again be subjected to birth and death, old age and disease. Just as persons on this earthly planet may be promoted to the higher planets, so persons on those higher planets—such as Brahmaloka, Chandraloka, or Indraloka—may be degraded to this earthly globe. By the practice of certain sacrifices one can achieve Brahmaloka; but if, once there, one does not cultivate Krishna consciousness, he again comes to this earthly sphere. Those who continue Krishna consciousness, even on the higher planets, are gradually elevated still higher, and at the time of the devastation of this universe, they are transferred to the spiritual world, to the Krishnaloka planet. It is said that, when there is a devastation of this material universe, Brahma, along with these devotees who are constantly engaged in Krishna consciousness, is transferred to the spiritual world, to one of the spiritual planets.
17: By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night.
PURPORT
BRAHMA LIVES for 100 years. One thousand ages means 4,300,000 years, multiplied by 1000. This is equal to I2 hours, the duration of Brahma's one day. Similarly, he has night, making 24 hours. Thirty such days make one month, and 12 such months equal one year. After 100 such years, Brahma also dies, according to the law of material Nature. No one is free from this process of birth, death, old age, and disease. Brahma is also subjected to it. But the special facility for Brahma is that, being directly engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord for the management of this universe, he therefore at once gets liberation. It is to be noted that the perfect Sannyasins are promoted to the Brahmaloka; but if Brahma is himself subjected to death, what can be said of the Sannyasins who are elevated to his planet? This duration of Brahmaloka is greater even than that of the sun and moon, or other worlds in the upper strata of planetary systems.
18: In the day of Brahma, all living entities come into being, and when the night falls, all is annihilated.
PURPORT
THOSE WHO ARE less intelligent try to remain within this material world; they are elevated to some more advanced planets, and then again come back to this earthly planet. All of them, during the daytime of Brahma, can exhibit their activities within this material world; but during the nighttime they are annihilated. During daytime, they get their different kinds of body and material activities, and during nighttime they have no longer any form. They remain compact within the body of Vishnu, and again are manifested in the new daytime of Brahma. In this way, they are manifested and again annihilated. Ultimately, when Brahma's life is also finished, all is annihilated for millions upon millions of years; and again manifested when Brahma is born anew in another millennium. In this way, the living beings are captivated by the spell of the material world. But intelligent persons who take to Knshna consciousness utilize this human form of life fully in devotional service to the Lord, chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—and even in this life they transfer themselves to the planet of Krishna, and become eternally blissful and happy there.
19: Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and again the night falls, O Partha, and this host is helplessly dissolved.
20: There is another, eternal Nature, which is transcendental to this manifested and non-manifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.
21: That supreme status is called unmanifested and infallible, and is the highest Destination. Going, no one ever returns from that, My Supreme Abode.
PURPORT
THE SUPREME ABODE of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is described in The Brahma Samhita as the Chintamoni dham: That Abode of Lord Krishna, known as Goloka Vrindaban, is full of palaces made of touchstone. There the trees are called desire-trees, and the cows are called Surabhi. And the Lord is being served by hundreds and thousands of Goddesses of Fortune; He Whose Name is Govinda, the Primal Lord and the Cause of all causes. There the Lord plays His flute, His eyes like lotus petals, and the color of His Body like a beautiful cloud; on His Head a peacock feather. So attractive is He that He excels thousands of cupids. Lord Krishna gives only a little hint in The Gita about His Personal Abode, which is the supermost planet in the spiritual kingdom.
22: This Supreme Personality of Godhead, than Whom no one is greater, is attainable by unalloyed devotion, O Arjuna. Although there in His abode, still He is all-pervading, and everything is fixed within Him.
23: O best of the Bharatas, I shall now explain to you the different times at which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come back.
PURPORT
THE UNALLOYED devotees of the Supreme Lord very easily and happily go back to Godhead, back to Home; but those who are not unalloyed devotees and depend on different kinds of spiritual realization through Karmayoga or Jnanayoga must have the suitable moment to leave this body. Then it can be assured whether they will be coming back or not. If the yogi is perfect, he can select the time and situation for passing out of this material world. But if the yogi is not so expert, then it will depend on his accidental passing away at a certain suitable time.
24: Those who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from this world during the influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious moment, during the fortnight of the moon and the six months when the sun travels in the north.
25: The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, and the moonless fortnight, and in the six months when the sun passes to the south, again comes back.
26: There are two ways of passing from this world, one in light and one in darkness. When one passes in light he does not come back, but when one passes in darkness he returns.
27: O Arjuna, the devotees who know these different paths are never bewildered. Therefore, be always fixed in devotion.
PURPORT
KRISHNA IS SPECIFICALLY advising Arjuna not to be disturbed by these different paths of departure from this material world. For a devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna it is advised not to bother about how to pass away, whether by arrangement or by accident. His duties should be always in Krishna consciousness, chanting Hare Krishna. A Krishna conscious person should know that either of these ways, the light way or the dark way, is troublesome. The best way is always to be absorbed in Krishna consciousness, and to be dovetailed in His service. That will make for a safe departure from this material world, directly to the spiritual Kingdom.
28: A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of any result of studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, making charity, and pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. And at the end he reaches the Supreme Abode.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Eighth Chapter of The Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in the matter of Attaining the Supreme.