“Understanding Krishna through proper inquiry”
Krishna answers first 7 as follows (8.3 – 8.4):
1‘Brahman’ (Spirit) — Indestructible living entity
2‘Adhyatma’ (Controller of the body) — Eternal nature, the self (to serve the Supreme)
3‘Karma’ (Work/Fruitive activities) — Activity which generates a material body for the living entity
4‘Adhibhuta’ (The material manifestation) — Constantly changing physical world
5‘Adhidaiva’ (The supreme demigod) — “The universal form” which includes all demigods and their different planets
6‘Adhiyajna’ (The enjoyer of sacrifice) — Paramatma in every embodied being, Krishna Himself
7Where does Adhiyajna reside? — In the heart of all th
8How to remember Krishna at the time of death?
Answer to 8th question is the main subject of the rest of chapter
aAtma — according to Vedic dictionary – Refers to mind, soul, body and also senses
bBrahman — It can refer to the Supreme Absolute Truth or individual soul
Indicates Krishna to be the Supreme Person and not simply a friend
He is the Supreme authority able to give definite answers FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 8.2*
aLord of sacrifice (Adhiyajna) — Can be Indra or Vishnu
Vishnu – Chief of primal demigods including Brahma and Shiva
Indra – Chief of administrative demigods
Both are worshipped by yajna
The question is “who is the actual Lord of yajna”
bLord as ‘Madhusudana’ — to kill the demon of doubt, not expected to arise in the mind of a Krishna conscious devotee (Arjuna)
c‘Prayana-kale’ means — at the time of death
Crucial time when whatever we do throughout life will be tested
Indicates Arjuna’s anxiety to know the position of the Krishna conscious devotee at death
e.g. King Kulashekhar’s prayers – He prays to die immediately when healthy because it is difficult to remember Supreme Lord when bodily functions and mind is disturbed
Analogy: “Swan of my mind can enter the stem of Your Lotus feet” (study purport) FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 8.3
aLiving entity and Supreme Lord (Both called Brahman) –
Living entity is called ‘Brahman’ because eternal and indestructible, therefore same in quality as Lord
But Lord is differentiated by referring to as ‘Para-Brahman’
bDifference between material consciousness and spiritual consciousness
Material consciousness – “trying to lord over” – results in karma (different bodies) – Such consciousness results in generating karma
Karma – It is the varied creation of material bodies by the force of material consciousness
Spiritual consciousness – to serve the Supreme
cLiving entity is called marginal entity — Why?
Because the living entity sometimes identifies with matter
And sometimes identifies with superior nature – then, he has only one spiritual body
dWhat happens when the living entity identifies with matter –
Takes any one of 8,400,000 bodies
Basis of transmigration – karma
For elevation to heaven – performs yajna (see “Vedic Sacrificial Process” below)
eKrishna conscious viewpoint — Avoid such sacrifices, take direct Krishna consciousness and go back to Godhead
fThis verse refutes impersonal commentators who say — “Brahman takes the form of the jiva in material world”. They misunderstand Bg. 15.7
The living entity is an eternal individual supported by two references:
Ref. Bg. 15.7: Living entity is an ‘eternal’ fragmental part and parcel of Myself
Ref. Vedic literatures – Distinguishes Brahman from Para-Brahman
Supreme Lord is Achyuta – He never falls; but jiva may fall down
gVedic sacrificial process — See diagram below
ACTIONS THAT RESULT IN A MATERIAL HUMAN BODY (8.3 purport) FOCUS OF LEARNING: PURPORT 8.4
aAdhibhuta — Constantly changing physical nature which manifests as six changes of body: birth, growth, sustenance, by-products, dwindling and death
bAdhidaivata — Universal form
Contemplated by neophytes who cannot approach the Supreme Lord in manifestation as Supersoul
cAdhiyajna — Function of Supersoul
Witness of soul’s activities
Source of soul’s various types of consciousness
Gives individual soul – free independence
d“Eva” — Stresses that Paramatma is non-different from Supreme Lord Krishna Himself
eWho understands the functions of all these manifestations of Supreme Personality of Godhead clearly – only a pure Krishna conscious devotee