Akshara Brahma Yoga
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga →
‌Om, the sacred symbol described in the chapter
Information
ReligionHinduism
AuthorTraditionally attributed to Vyasa
LanguageSanskrit
Verses28

The Akshara Brahma Yoga (Sanskrit: अक्षरब्रह्मयोग, romanized: Akṣarabrahmayōga)[1] is the eighth of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita.[2] The chapter has a total of twenty-eight shlokas.[3] It is the 30th chapter of Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata.[4]

Etymology

Akshara refers to the imperishable or eternal, and Brahma Yoga signifies the yoga of an ultimate reality or the divine. In the Akshara Brahma Yoga, Krishna explains his understanding and realization of his belief in an eternal essence that transcends the material world to Arjuna. The term's etymology is rooted in the concepts of the Bhagavad Gita, emphasizing the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and the belief in the connection between the individual soul (jivatma) and an ultimate reality (Paramatman).[5]

Overview

Pages 1–5: Inquiry about the nature of an ultimate reality (Brahman), the process of departing from the mortal world, and a belief in a significance of thoughts at the time of death.[6]

Pages 6–12: Attaining God in the final moments, divine manifestations, meditation (dhyana) on formless aspect, cycle of creation, and significance of devotion.

Pages 13–22: Paths after death, cycle of creation and dissolution (pralaya), eternal nature of God, influence of gunas, role of knowledge, and attaining God through devotion (bhakti).[7]

Pages 23–28: Path of devotion, meditation on God, the significance of Om, dedicating actions to God, the importance of devotion, knowledge, and detachment.

Content

In the Akshara Brahma Yoga, Arjuna questions Krishna about some undefined terms He used at the end of Chapter 7. This chapter elaborates on terms introduced earlier and centers on the idea, first mentioned in Chapter 7, Verse 30, that one can gain knowledge of Krishna at the time of death if one's minds is correctly aligned. Krishna emphasizes the importance of one's last thoughts at the time of death, as they determine one's future existence. He advises Arjuna to focus his thoughts on God or the "imperishable" (akshara) to avoid rebirth.[8]

In verses 1–4, Krishna offers definitions to terms he has used:[8]

  • Adhyatma: The spiritual or inner aspect of existence referring to the inherent nature ("svabhava") of an individual, which Krishna believes one is born with and which evolves through the influence of past actions.
  • Adhibhuta: The physical or material aspect that is transient. It is defined as "kshara bhava", the changing form of existence that is subject to decay, which contrasts with the term akshara that is used to define Brahman.
  • Adhidaivata: The divine aspect characterized as the "purusha" or the soul within the body (atman). This contrasts to the term adhibhuta, highlighting the distinction between the soul and the temporary material body.
  • Adhiyajna: The aspect of the divine related to Vedic offerings. Krishna designates himself as the adhiyajna, implying that he is the ultimate recipient of all Vedic offerings.
  • Karma: The creative force responsible for the birth of a living being. According to the belief system of Hinduism, the soul's journey in a cycle of birth and death is influenced by its past Karma, meaning actions (karma individuals accumulate) in the present shape future existence.

Verses 5-16 connect the dhyana-yoga teachings of Chapter 6 with the emphasis on bhakti of Chapter 7. Krishna asserts that those who focus their minds on Him at death will attain Him, as the state of one's consciousness during death dictates the next form. Achieving this focus involves conditioning the mind to always think of Krishna through yoga techniques similar to those in Chapter 6. Verses 12 and 13 enhance the yoga teachings of Chapter 6 with more focus on physical exercises and breath control (pranayama), not just mental concentration. Verses 15 and 16 confirm the Vedantic view of the world as a place of suffering and temporality, highlighting that reaching Krishna halts the cycle of rebirth.[8]

1940 print of Krishna revealing his true form to Arjuna

Themes

  • The Nature of the Soul: (Akshara: Ātman, the imperishable soul as described in the Bhagavad Gita) In this chapter, Krishna teaches Arjuna about an eternal and indestructible nature of the soul. The text explains the belief in Hinduism that the soul is beyond the physical body and mind: it is not believed to undergo the cycles of birth and death. This belief allows Arjuna to overcome his fear of mortality.
  • The Process of Transition at the Time of Death: Krishna describes the process of departing from the physical body during death. He explains that the mental state and consciousness at the time of death determine the soul's journey to the next life. By maintaining a meditative and devotional state of mind, individuals can ensure a positive transition and a better future existence.
  • The Importance of Devotion and Surrender to God: The chapter underscores the significance of unwavering devotion (bhakti) and surrender to the divine. Krishna explains that by focusing one's thoughts on the Para Brahman (Supreme Being) and cultivating a deep connection through love and devotion, individuals can attain liberation (moksha) and break the cycle of birth and death.[9]
  • The Significance of the Om Sound in Spiritual Practice: Om (or Aum) is a sacred sound often considered to be the primordial vibration of the universe. It symbolises the ultimate reality or Brahman. In the context of the Gita, Krishna mentions the syllable Om as a representation of the Divine.

The Akshara Brahma Yoga teaches about the belief in the eternal nature of the soul, the process of transitioning at death, devotion, and surrender, and Om in spiritual practice.

Significance

The Akshara Brahma Yoga emphasizes the nature of the soul (ātman) using the syllable Om as a representation of an ultimate reality.[10] Krishna explains the concept of oneness between the individual soul and the universal consciousness. This chapter underscores the importance of spiritual discipline, devotion, and meditation as means to realise this unity. Through the metaphor of a tree, Krishna illustrates the roots as the divine, the trunk as the cosmic order, and the leaves as the individual souls. By understanding the imperishable nature of the soul and aligning oneself with the universal, one can attain liberation (moksha). Akshara Brahma Yoga teaches the path to self-realization, emphasizing the connection between the individual and the divine, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.

Om

The sacred symbol Om, discussed in the Akshara Brahma Yoga[11]

The Om symbol holds profound significance in Akshara Brahma Yoga, a sacred syllable representing the ultimate reality, encompassing creation, preservation, and dissolution. The three phonetic components of Aum — A, U, and M — symbolise these phases of existence.

Verse 13 of this chapter is as follows:[10]

Original Sanskrit

ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्
य: प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्

 Verse 8.13 transliterated

oṁ ityekākṣharaṁ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim

 Translation

The one who utters the single syllable 'Om,' remembering me, and departs
abandoning the body, that person attains the supreme goal.

In Akshara Brahma Yoga, Aum signifies the unchanging, eternal essence amid the ever-changing world. It represents three states of consciousness:[12]

  • waking state, where our body and mind are active, and we collectively experience the world.
  • dream state, where only the mind is active, and there's no external experience or interaction.
  • deep sleep state, where both body and mind are inactive, and there is a state of rest and absence of desires. After death, consciousness rests in this state and comes back upon rebirth.

Oneness of Krishna

In Akshara Brahma Yoga, Krishna illustrates that he is the essence of all creation, the source from which all things originate, and the destination to which all things return, the Para Brahman. He is the cosmic intelligence that sustains the universe, and the eternal thread that connects all living beings. By realizing this oneness with the Akshara Brahma, the chapter states that individuals may attain liberation from Saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

Verses 6–7 of this chapter are as follows:[13]

This emphasizes the oneness of Krishna as the eternal, imperishable reality that transcends the material and spiritual. In this discourse, Krishna reveals himself as the Akshara Brahma, the unchanging and indestructible Svayam Bhagavan ('God Himself') consciousness that resides within all beings. He describes how everything in the universe, both perishable and imperishable, emanates from this ultimate reality.

Notes

  1. ↑ Verses 8.6–7 in Sanskrit:

    यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् ।
    तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावित: ॥
    तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च
    मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम् ॥

References

  1. ↑ Vyas, R. N. (1986). The Bhagavadgītā and Jīvana Yoga. Abhinav Publications. p. 166. ISBN 978-81-7017-203-1.
  2. ↑ Sharma, Amiya Bhushan. Aristotle, Plato and Bhagvad Gita on the 'Soul' In the Light Primarily of On the Soul, Phaedo and the Second Chapter of Bhagvad Gita. OCLC 1188954697.
  3. ↑ Chand, Dr Bharati (19 July 2021). Symphony of Philosophy & Education in Bhagavad Gita. Vol. 2. Notion Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-63957-488-9.
  4. ↑ "13–24 Shocking News: Bhishma fallen". Mahabharata Book Six. Vol. 1: Bhishma (Bhīṣmaparvan). Translated by Cherniak, Alex. NYU Press. 2008. pp. 105–170. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1bmzmj1.9. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Jivatmaa, Paramatma relationship from two angles". The Hindu. 15 September 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Shivakumar, K. N. (6 April 2019). Bhagawad Gita: Bhagavad Gita (in Sanskrit). Sangeet Bharati. p. 66.
  7. ↑ "What lesson does the Bhagavadgita teach about death?". Britannica. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Sutton, Dr Nicholas (13 March 2017). Bhagavad Gita: The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Guide (1st ed.). Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. pp. 127–129. ISBN 978-1-5030-5291-8.
  9. ↑ The Bhagavad Gita (with an English translation, explanatory notes and an examination of its doctrines). London; Madras: Christian Literature Society for India. 1899. pp. 29–31.
  10. 1 2 Gurumaa, Anandmurti (24 November 2021). Srimad Bhagavad Gita: (Succinct Commentary). Gurumaa Vani. p. 257. ISBN 978-93-81464-68-7.
  11. ↑ "Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 - Akshara Brahma Yoga". Bhagavad Gita. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  12. ↑ Saurabhnath, Swami (5 December 2017). Bhagavad Gita - Pure - A Comprehensive Study without Sectarian Contamination: By Swami Saurabhnath. Swami Saurabhnath.
  13. ↑ Marga, Bhakti (30 July 2016). Shreemad Bhagavad Gita - Verses and Translations. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 145. ISBN 978-3-940381-59-0.
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