Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 — Akshara Brahma Yoga (The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman)
Arjuna asks about Brahman, karma and the moment of death; Krishna teaches that what one remembers at the end shapes one's path, so remember him always.
What happens in Chapter 8
Arjuna asks seven questions: what is Brahman, what is the self, what is karma, and how is the Lord known at the time of death? Krishna defines each briefly and then teaches that whatever a person remembers when leaving the body, that they attain. Because our last thoughts grow out of a lifetime's habits, he asks Arjuna to remember him at all times — and to keep fighting.
The chapter describes meditation on Om at the time of death, the vast cosmic days and nights of Brahma when worlds appear and dissolve, and the two paths of departure — the path of light from which there is no return and the path of smoke that leads back to rebirth.
Main themes
- Brahman, adhyatma and karma defined
- Remembrance at the time of death
- The days and nights of Brahma
- The two paths
Key verses
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।
यः प्रयाति स मद्भावं याति नास्त्यत्र संशयः॥anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयः॥tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ
For daily life
The Gita does not ask you to stop working in order to remember God — "remember me and fight" means keeping a quiet remembrance alongside daily duties.
Sanskrit text: traditional (Gita Press numbering). English translation and explanation: MyPujaWorld.
Frequently asked questions
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8?
Chapter 8, Akshara Brahma Yoga, has 28 verses in the standard (Gita Press) text.
What is Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita about?
Arjuna asks about Brahman, karma and the moment of death; Krishna teaches that what one remembers at the end shapes one's path, so remember him always.
More bhagavad gita
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 — Arjuna Vishada Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 — Sankhya Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 — Karma Yoga (The Yoga of Action)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 — Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 — Karma Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Renunciation)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 — Dhyana Yoga (The Yoga of Meditation)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 — Jnana Vijnana Yoga (The Yoga of Knowledge and Realisation)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 — Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga (The Yoga of Royal Knowledge and the Royal Secret)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 — Vibhuti Yoga (The Yoga of Divine Glories)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 — Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 — Bhakti Yoga (The Yoga of Devotion)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 — Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 — Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (The Yoga of the Three Gunas)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 — Purushottama Yoga (The Yoga of the Supreme Person)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Qualities)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17 — Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (The Yoga of the Threefold Faith)
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 — Moksha Sannyasa Yoga (The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation)
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