श्रीः
प्रपन्नपारिजाताय तोत्रवेत्रैकपाणये । ज्ञानमुद्राय कृष्णाय गीतामृतदुहे नमः ॥
ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरमणाय
Chapter 8. अक्षरब्रह्मयोगः
In Chapter 7, Bhagavan Sri Krishna spoke about who Vasudeva is. He says that like how the dream world dissolves in the dreamer when he wakes up, the jnani perceives that there is nothing superior to and nothing other than Me, Vasudeva. We are unable to perceive him, because of impure mind and unsteady intellect. The ripples on the mind do not permit the real self who is Vasudeva himself, to manifest.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana beautifully summarizes the sadhana and goal in Arunachala Pancharatnam, which is in essence the sum and substance of the Upanishads and hence, the Gita - he says
त्वय्यरुणाचल सर्वं भूत्वा स्थित्वा प्रलीनमेतच्चित्रम्।
हृद्यहमहमित्यात्मतया नृत्यसि भोः ते वदन्ति हृदयं नाम॥ (2)
O Arunachala! In you, the world comes into existence and is sustained and into you it dissolves. You dance in the heart as I, I, hence the word heart means you. Arunachala is not merely the cause of the world, but he is the world, the witness of the world, the light which illumines the world and the substratum on which the world rests. All through the changes, he dances eternally in the heart as the self. Bhagavan goes on to explain how to reach him - by self-enquiry. In the next verse he says
अहमिति कुत आयातीत्यन्विष्य अन्तः प्रविष्टया अत्यमलधिया।
अवगम्य स्वं रूपं शाम्यत्यरुणाचल त्वयि नदीवाब्धौ॥ (3)
With a pure mind, having turned inwards seeking the source of the I, having understood one's own form, one becomes still and peaceful, like the river merging in the ocean.
This realisation is the crux of all sadhana. There is nothing else, other than Arunachala / Ishvara. मत्त: परतरं नानयत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय (#7.7). When the conditioning layers (the I notion in the body, mind, etc) are removed, the underlying sat-cit-ananda nature of the own self is realised. This is also the nature of Ishvara.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna says the jnani is my own self - ज्ञानी तु आत्मैव मे मतम् (# 7.18). Towards the end of Chapter 7, he says that the ones whose sins have been removed, are free from attachment and aversion and they worship me steadfastly. In order to achieve moksha from the cycle of birth, old age and death, they realise in full, the meaning of Brahman, the jeeva and karma. Chapter 8 is an elaboration of this knowledge that is realised.
The chapter begins with Arjuna's questions as to what is Brahman, adhyatma, karma, adhibhuta, adhidaiva, adhiyajna and finally, how does one remember Vasudeva at the time of death.
These questions are all answered - Brahman is the imperishable consciousness within - the essence of I, the eternal and unchanging truth.
Adhyatma is one's nature or prakriti - it is the entity called the jeeva, which exists in the body and which is essentially Brahman but covered with a body-mind-intellect identity.
Karma arises from this identity, out of this limited idea. It is an expression of ignorance. To put it simply, action arises out of the wrong idea that I am not purna, and I need to do something to become purna.
Adhibhuta is all physical matter, it is perishable and ever-changing. Adhidaiva is Ishvara, who sustains the world. Adhiyajna is the presiding deity in all sacrifices and rituals.
At the time of death of the body, the one who remembers me and lets go of the body, reaches me, says Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Here, the intention of the word 'anta-kala' - the time of death, is really - always remember me. This 'remembering' happens only when the self is ever-recognised as Vasudeva.
When the mind is surrendered to Vasudeva, it merges in him, having lost its own separate existence. This is when the true nature of Vasudeva is realised as one's own self, as sat-cit-ananda svarupa. Vasudeva is now reached, because the self is nitya-siddha. One's own self does not have to be reached separately, it is ever-present and self-luminous.
Whatever is remembered at the time of death, is believed to drive rebirth. Hence, says Krishna, remember me always and perform your karma. Surrender your mind and intellect to me, take refuge in me, and continue to do your work.
Paramatma is described now - the ancient one, the ordainer of everything, the nourisher, the most subtle, the inconceivable. The one who remembers him with unswerving bhakti and with a one-pointed mind, reaches him. This is because the mind is habituated to remaining in the self, by the strength of yoga.
Akshara Brahman is now explained to a great level of detail, with Kathopanishad mantras being mirrored by Bhagavan Sri Krishna. The imperishable Brahman is indicated by the word Om and is the final destination for all seekers. Om is the essence of the Vedas.
The yoga marga is explained too, because Om is also a support for meditation. In the yoga marga, when the mental vrittis are controlled and the mind is confined to the heart, the syllable Om is uttered. The essence of Om, which is Paramatma, is remembered, sending the yogi to the final goal.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna emphasises that he is easy to attain, by steadfast practice and without allowing the mind to waver. If I can forge my identity with Ishvara, and let go of the other superimposed identities (with the body and mind), I do not need to make a separate effort to reach him. He has been understood to be my own self, is the main takeaway. In Chapter 10, Bhagavan Sri Krishna is going to tell us अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयः स्थितः - I am the aatma present in all beings. This realisation is the goal.
Even those who, due to punya, reach higher worlds like Brahmaloka, have to return to the manushya-loka when the punya is exhausted but there is no more rebirth for this person who has reached the highest state of oneness with Brahman. Rebirth arises due to identity with the individual sense - the jeeva bhava. When that has been extinguished through knowledge of the self, where is the question of rebirth?
The chapter continues into the concept of time, which is an inscrutable concept. Depending on which loka we inhabit, the concept of time changes. The process of creation of the world - the unmanifest emerging from Brahma and becoming manifest, and again dissolving into Brahma, is also explained here. Beyond the manifested and unmanifested, there is the eternal unmanifested imperishable existence, the Akshara Brahman.
This supreme Brahman can be attained by unwavering devotion - this is the declaration by Krishna in shloka # 8.22. In a way, this shloka sets the context for the next 4 chapters. Unwavering devotion is the conviction that he alone exists and nothing else does including myself as a separate jeeva.
The uttarayana and dakshinayana concepts are also explained, with uttarayana being the path of no return and dakshinayana being the path of return back to the earth.
Awareness of what is inside me is realisation. In each and every worldly experience too, Brahman is effortlessly and choicelessly revealed to me as the self. I do not need mystical or other-worldly experiences to realise this.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः । तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥
सर्वं श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु
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