Devanagari
अर्जुन उवाच
किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।
अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
arjuna uvāca
kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ
kiṁ karma puruṣottama
adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam
adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate
Synonyms
arjunaḥ uvāca
—
Arjuna said
;
kim
—
what
;
tat
—
that
;
brahma
—
Brahman
;
kim
—
what
;
adhyātmam
—
the self
;
kim
—
what
;
karma
—
fruitive activities
;
puruṣa-uttama
—
O Supreme Person
;
adhibhūtam
—
the material manifestation
;
ca
—
and
;
kim
—
what
;
proktam
—
is called
;
adhidaivam
—
the demigods
;
kim
—
what
;
ucyate
—
is called.
Translation
Arjuna inquired: O my Lord, O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the self? What are fruitive activities? What is this material manifestation? And what are the demigods? Please explain this to me.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
1-2. Arjuna said: What is Brahman, what is adhyātma, what is karma, what is adhibhūta and what is adhidaiva, O Supreme Person? Who is the adhiyajṣa, and how is he known in the body? How are You to be known at the point of death by those with concentrated minds?
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
1-2. Arjuna said: What is brahman, what is adhyātma, what is karma, what is adhibhūta and what is adhidaiva, O Supreme Person? Who is the adhiyajṣa, and how is he known in the body? How are You to known at the point of death by those with concentrated minds?
Purport
In this chapter Lord Kṛṣṇa answers different questions from Arjuna, beginning with “What is Brahman?” The Lord also explains karma (fruitive activities), devotional service and yoga principles, and devotional service in its pure form. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains that the Supreme Absolute Truth is known as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. In addition, the living entity, the individual soul, is also called Brahman. Arjuna also inquires about ātmā, which refers to body, soul and mind. According to the Vedic dictionary, ātmā refers to the mind, soul, body and senses also.
Arjuna has addressed the Supreme Lord as Puruṣottama, Supreme Person, which means that he was putting these questions not simply to a friend but to the Supreme Person, knowing Him to be the supreme authority able to give definitive answers.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In the eighth chapter, the Lord speaks about pure bhakti and yoga-miśra-bhakti, in reply to Arjuna’s questions. He also describes the two destinations of the yogīs.
At the end of the previous chapter, the Lord mentioned knowledge of seven items (Brahman, adhyātma, karma, adhibhūta, adhidaiva, adhiyajṣa, and Himself, Kṛṣṇa). Wanting to know about these things, Arjuna asks questions about them in the first two verses of this chapter.
Who is the ruler of yajṣa in the body (atra dehe) and how should He be known in the body at the point of death? The sentence is completed with the next line of verse 2.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In the eighth chapter, being questioned by Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa will explain the different items starting with brahman mentioned at the end of the last chapter. He will then explain two paths of bhakti: bhakti mixed with yoga and pure bhakti.
Arjuna asks questions in order to understand the meaning of the seven items starting with brahman, mentioned as objects of knowledge for the person desiring liberation in the last chapter. What is that brahman? Is it the conscious paramātmā or the conscious jīva? What is adhyātma: what is it that superintends the body (ātmā)? Is it the group of senses or a group of subtle elements? What is karma? Does it refer to ordinary day to day actions, or actions prescribed by the Vedas? Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa as Puruṣottama in order to counteract a possible objection by Kṛṣṇa, “Since we are equals, why do you ask Me?” “Because you are the Supreme Lord, You know everything, whereas I do not.”
What is adhibhūta? What is it that rules (adhi) the living entity within the body (bhūta)? Is it the products of the elements such as pots or the gross bodies of the jīva? What is adhidaivam? Is it meditation on the devatās (concerning the devatās) or the universal form (that which governs the devatās), the personification of everything in the universe? Who is adhiyajṣa? Does Indra or Viṣṇu own the sacrifice? What also is the nature of this ruler of sacrifice? Arjuna then addresses Kṛṣna as Madhusūdana, killer of the Madhu demon, letting Him understand that it will be easy for the Lord to remove all his doubts. At the time of death, because of the impossibility of concentrating the mind due to disturbance of all the senses, how are You to be known?
Surrender Unto Me
Arjuna is asking what is brahma, what is adhyatma, what is karma, what is adhibhuta, what is adhidaiva. He is asking about five of those six concepts that Krsna mentioned in the last two verses of the previous chapter.