Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 3 — Aksara Brahma Yoga
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच | अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते | भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ||८-३||
Transliteration
śrībhagavānuvāca . akṣaraṃ brahma paramaṃ svabhāvo.adhyātmamucyate . bhūtabhāvodbhavakaro visargaḥ karmasaṃjñitaḥ ||8-3||
Hindi Meaning
।।8.3।। श्रीभगवान् ने कहा -- परम अक्षर (अविनाशी) तत्त्व ब्रह्म है; स्वभाव (अपना स्वरूप) अध्यात्म कहा जाता है; भूतों के भावों को उत्पन्न करने वाला विसर्ग (यज्ञ, प्रेरक बल) कर्म नाम से जाना जाता है।।
English Meaning
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called adhyātma, the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma, or fruitive activities.
Commentary
Brahman is indestructible and eternally existing, and its constitution is not changed at any time. But beyond Brahman there is Para-brahman. Brahman refers to the living entity, and Para-brahman refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The constitutional position of the living entity is different from the position he takes in the material world. In material consciousness his nature is to try to be the lord of matter, but in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his position is to serve the Supreme. When the living entity is in material consciousness, he has to take on various bodies in the material world. That is called karma, or varied creation by the force of material consciousness. In Vedic literature the living entity is called jīvātmā and Brahman, but he is never called Para-brahman. The living entity ( jīvātmā ) takes different positions – sometimes he merges into the dark material nature and identifies himself with matter, and sometimes he identifies himself with the superior, spiritual nature. Therefore he is called the Supreme Lord’s marginal energy. According to his identification with material or spiritual nature, he receives a material or spiritual body. In material nature he may take a body from any of the 8,400,000 species of life, but in spiritual nature he has only one body. In material nature he is manifested sometimes as a man, demigod, animal, beast, bird, etc., according to his karma. To attain material heavenly planets and enjoy their facilities, he sometimes performs sacrifices ( yajña ), but when his merit is exhausted he returns to earth again in the form of a man. This process is called karma. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad describes the Vedic sacrificial process. On the sacrificial altar, five kinds of offerings are made into five kinds of fire. The five kinds of fire are conceived of as the heavenly planets, clouds, the earth, man and woman, and the five kinds of sacrificial offerings are faith, the enjoyer on the moon, rain, grains and semen. In the process of sacrifice, the living entity makes specific sacrifices to attain specific heavenly planets and consequently reaches them. When the merit of sacrifice is exhausted, the living entity descends to earth in the form of rain, then takes on the form of grains, and the grains are eaten by man and transformed into semen, which impregnates a woman, and thus the living entity once again attains the human form to perform sacrifice and so repeat the same cycle. In this way, the living entity perpetually comes and goes on the material path. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, avoids such sacrifices. He takes directly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thereby prepares himself to return to Godhead. Impersonalist commentators on the Bhagavad-gītā unreasonably assume that Brahman takes the form of jīva in the material world, and to substantiate this they refer to Chapter Fifteen, verse 7, of the Gītā. But in this verse the Lord also speaks of the living entity as “an eternal fragment of Myself.” The fragment of God, the living entity, may fall down into the material world, but the Supreme Lord (Acyuta) never falls down. Therefore this assumption that the Supreme Brahman assumes the form of jīva is not acceptable. It is important to remember that in Vedic literature Brahman (the living entity) is distinguished from Para-brahman (the Supreme Lord).
Hinglish Commentary
Brahman ko hum indestructible aur hamesha maujood samajhte hain, aur iski constitution kabhi nahi badalti. Lekin isse aage ek aur concept hai, jo hai Para-brahman. Brahman ka matlab hai jeevatma, yaani living entity, aur Para-brahman ka matlab hai Supreme Personality of Godhead. Jevatma ki constitutional position, yani asli pehchaan, material duniya mein uski position se alag hai. Jab hum material consciousness mein hote hain, tab humara nature hota hai ki hum maamle ka lord banne ki koshish karein, par jab hum spiritual consciousness, yaani Kṛṣṇa consciousness mein aate hain, tab humara asli role hota hai Supreme ki seva karna. Jab jeevatma material consciousness mein hota hai, tab usse material duniya mein alag-alag bodies leni padti hain, aur is process ko hum karma kehte hain. Vedic literature mein jeevatma ko jīvātmā aur Brahman kaha gaya hai, par kabhi bhi isse Para-brahman nahi kaha jata. Jeevatma alag-alag positions leta hai – kabhi wo dark material nature ke saath merge ho jata hai aur kabhi superior spiritual nature ke saath identify karta hai. Isliye use Supreme Lord ki marginal energy kaha jata hai. Uski identification material ya spiritual nature ke saath hoti hai, aur us hisaab se wo material ya spiritual body prapt karta hai. Material nature mein wo 8,400,000 species mein se kisi bhi body ko le sakta hai, par spiritual nature mein uska sirf ek body hota hai. Material nature mein wo kabhi aadmi, kabhi demigod, kabhi jaanwar, ya kabhi parindey ki tarah manifest hota hai, jo uske karma par depend karta hai. Agar wo material heavenly planets tak pahunchna chahta hai aur unki suvidhaon ka anand lena chahta hai, toh kabhi-kabhi wo sacrifices karta hai, par jab uska merit khatam ho jata hai, toh wo phir se dharti par aadmi ke roop mein wapas aata hai. Is process ko hum karma kehte hain. Chāndogya Upaniṣad mein Vedic sacrificial process ko explain kiya gaya hai. Sacrificial altar par paanch tarah ki offerings paanch tarah ke aag mein daali jaati hain. Ye paanch tarah ki aag heavenly planets, clouds, earth, man aur woman ko represent karti hain, aur paanch tarah ki sacrificial offerings hoti hain faith, moon par enjoyer, baarish, anaj aur semen. Sacrifice ke process mein, jeevatma specific heavenly planets ko prapt karne ke liye specific sacrifices karta hai aur un tak pahunchta hai. Jab sacrifice ka merit khatam hota hai, toh jeevatma dharti par baarish ke roop mein aata hai, phir wo anaj ka roop leta hai, jo insaan khata hai aur semen mein badalta hai, jo ek aurat ko pregnant karta hai, aur is tarah se jeevatma phir se human form prapt karta hai taaki wo sacrifice kar sake aur ye cycle dohra sake. Is tarah se jeevatma lagatar material path par aata-jata rehta hai. Lekin jo Kṛṣṇa conscious log hote hain, wo aise sacrifices se bachne ki koshish karte hain. Wo seedha Kṛṣṇa consciousness ki taraf badhte hain aur is tarah se apne aap ko Godhead tak wapas jaane ke liye tayaar karte hain. Kuch impersonalist commentators Bhagavad-gītā par bina kisi wajah ke ye maan lete hain ki Brahman material duniya mein jīva ki form le leta hai, aur isko prove karne ke liye wo Gītā ke Chapter Fifteen, verse 7 ka reference dete hain. Lekin is verse mein Bhagwan bhi jeevatma ko “an eternal fragment of Myself” kehte hain. Jeevatma, jo God ka fragment hai, wo material duniya mein gir sakta hai, lekin Supreme Lord (Acyuta) kabhi nahi girta. Isliye ye maan lena ki Supreme Brahman jīva ki form le leta hai, ye sahi nahi hai. Ye yaad rakhna zaroori hai ki Vedic literature mein Brahman (jeevatma) ko Para-brahman (Supreme Lord) se alag kiya gaya hai.