49. &

avyakto'kṣara ity uktas tamāhuḥ paramāṃ gatim I yaṃ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṃ mama II 8.21

8.21 That Supreme abode is said to be unmanifest and indestructible and is the Supreme destination [param gati]. When one gains this state one never comes back. That is My supreme abode [param dhām].

puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā I yasyāntaḥ sthāni bhūtāni yena sarvam idaṃ tatam II 8.22

8.22 O Pārtha, the Supreme person [puruṣa], who is greater than all, is attainable by undeviating devotion. Although He is present in His abode, He is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.

yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim āvṛttim caiva yoginaḥ I prayātā yānti taṃ kālaṃ vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha II 8.23

8.23 O Bharatarṣabha, I shall now explain to you the different times when passing away from this world, one returns or does not return.

agnir-jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ ṣaṇmāsā uttarāyaṇam I tatra prayātā gacchanti brahma brahmavido janāḥ II 8.24

8.24 Those who pass away from the world during the influence of the fire god, during light, at an auspicious moment, during the fortnight of the waxing moon [śuklaḥ] and the six months when the sun travels in the north [uttarāyaṇam], and who have realized the Supreme Brahman do not return.

dhūmo rātristathā kṛṣṇaḥ ṣaṇmāsā dakṣiṇāyanam I tatra cāndramasaṃ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate II 8.25

8.25 The Yogī who passes away from this world during the smoke, the night, the fortnight of the waning moon [kṛṣnaḥ], or the six months when the sun passes to the south [dakṣināyaṇam], having done good deeds, go to the Cosmic layer and returns again.

śukla kṛṣṇe gatī hy ete jagataḥ śāśvate mate I ekayā yāty anāvṛttim anyayāvartate punaḥ II 8.26

8.26 According to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world—one in the light [śukla] and one in darkness [kṛṣna]. When one passes in light, he does not return; but when one passes in darkness, he returns again.

naite sṛtī pārtha jānan yogī muhyati kaścana I tasmātsarveṣu kāleṣu yogayukto bhavārjuna II 8.27

8.27 O Pārtha, the devotees who know these different paths are never bewildered. O Arjuna, be always fixed in devotion.

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva dāneṣu yat puṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam I atyeti tat sarvam idaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānam upaiti cādyam II 8.28

8.28 A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not denied the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austerities and sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing pious and result based activities. At the end he reaches the Supreme and Primal abode.

iti śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjuna saṃvāde akṣarabrahmayogo nāma aṣṭamo'dhyāyaḥ II

In the Upaniṣad of Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā, the scripture of yoga dealing with Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the science of Brahman, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Arjuna, this is eighth chapter named, Akṣarabrahma Yogaḥ**,** 'The Yoga of Imperishable Brahma.'

Kṛṣṇa speaks on death. The moment we understand death, it becomes a liberation and celebration.

Knowing Him At The Time Of Death (8.1-8.2)

Here, Arjuna asks beautifully, 'O Lord! What is Brahman? What is Self? What are result-based actions? What is this material manifestation? What are demi-gods? How do You live in the body, and how can those engaged in devotion, know You at the time of death?'

arjuna uvāca

kiṁ tad brahma kim adhyātmaṁ kiṁ karma puruṣottama I adhibhūtaṁ ca kiṁ proktam adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate II 8.1

However, the main question to Kṛṣṇa is: How does a person who is engaged in practicing Your teachings know You at the time of death? Here starts the whole teaching of Kṛṣṇa. He reveals the secrets of death.

The West has spent all its energy to understand life. The East has put all its energy to understand death. Nobody has gone so deeply into, or achieved such deep experiences of death, as our Ṛṣis, sages have. These masters have done a great service by bringing the knowledge of death to the living beings.

Understand death, intellectually. Your whole thinking will change. Your whole way of living, your very being will be transformed. Your core can be touched. Kṛṣṇa explains the secrets of death.

Your Last Memory Follows You (8.3-8.6)

Let us first understand how we assume the body, how we live through it and leave it. We create our whole body out of our fear, greed, guilt and our engraved memories, called root thought patterns (saṁskāras). Whatever saṁskāras we have, we create the body to work them out, experience them and enjoy them. Once we have created the body and live our life, we do not live out only the root thought patterns (saṁskāras) that created this body, we also acquire more saṁskāras, more patterns.

When we came down to planet Earth, God never sends us empty handed. He sends us with everything. He sends us with our inner powers, but we have forgotten that we even have these great powers. Whatever saṁskāras or desires we bring, we bring enough energy to live them out and enjoy them also.

Listen: you can fulfill your desires that you bring and live an enriching life of completion! You actually have the power to simply manifest the reality of your choice! You have the potential to enrich every aspect of your life; bringing you everything, from health to wealth to meaningful relationships to lasting happiness.

Please listen! Karma refers to the unfulfilled desires that we create over many births, which pull us back again to take birth and fulfill them. We have three types of karma**—**sañcita, prārabdha and āgāmya.

Sañcita karma is our complete bank of unfulfilled karmas like our safety deposit or the files archived in our office vault. Prārabdha karma are those karmas that we have brought and come in this life, like files in filing cabinets which we access and work on regularly. Āgāmya karma are like the new files on our table that we keep creating—new karma that we create in every life.

We must exhaust all three types of karmas to experience enlightenment. Sañcita karma is all that we have accumulated over many births. Prārabdha karma is karma that we brought with us to work out in this life. Āgāmya karma is what we acquire newly in this birth.

Prārabdha karma is like our opening bank balance in this life. We have enough energy to exhaust this prārabdha karma. Then why do we feel that this life is not sufficient? Why do we feel unfulfilled?

The problem is that after coming down, we forget what we came down for, the saṁskāras and desires that we brought to live out and complete. Instead we accumulate more desires from society.

Kṛṣṇa says here, 'O best of embodied beings! The physical nature that is constantly changing is called adhibhūta, Universal form of the Lord, which includes all the demi-gods. The nature of the Sun and Moon is adhidaiva. As the Supreme Lord represented as the Super Soul in the heart of every embodied being, I am called adhiyajña (8.4).'

This gives us a background to understand the secret of death. When we understand why we take birth, it is easier to understand what happens when we leave the body. If we understand this deeply, our desire to 'possess' automatically drops.

Everything that we call matter is energy and it constantly changes. This truth was given by inner scientists or Ṛṣis thousands of years ago in Upaniṣads. Kṛṣṇa clearly says it. All physical matter is energy and it keeps changing.

When we look at something, we think of it as only matter, as a physical object. We think we can possess and take ownership of that physical object. We fail to understand that—it is all energy and energy cannot be kept in one place. It is Universal. The physical object is a manifestation of the Universal energy. We then understand the futility of holding onto something or running after something. Understand that everything and everyone is created out of the same underlying energy.

Kṛṣṇa says clearly in this verse: Everything, whether living or non-living, is an embodiment of the Supreme Soul—adhiyajño aham evātra dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara (8.4). The same Supreme Soul lives in everything. When we understand this, we see the Truth that we are a part of everything around us and we complete with everything. There is no difference between you and me. There is no difference between this chair and me or this tree and me. We see ourselves in everything.

Please listen! This is what I mean when I say, 'Enriching others enriches you.' Enrich yourself and enrich everyone. Then, experientially you understand that you are one with others, others are one with you. This completely changes the way we perceive our desires, our fantasies. Kṛṣṇa answers all the questions with a single sūtra, a single technique.

The Secret of Death

Now, Kṛṣṇa reveals the secrets of death.

He says, 'Whoever dies remembering Me alone at the time of death will attain Me at once.' What does He mean when He says, 'remembering Me alone?' He says, 'Whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.'

Why should He say the words–nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ (8.5)–there is no doubt?' He emphasizes, 'this is the truth.' Kṛṣṇa is going to speak something that is beyond logic. When we want to understand the outer world, we need logic. When we want to know the inner world, we need a Master who takes us beyond logic.

Karma or saṁskāra means any desire that is not completely experienced by you. By nature you are a fulfilled complete being. But whenever you do not fulfill any action completely, with totality, you create a hangover, a recorded memory of that action, a saṁskāra. But if you have completed with that pattern by living a single saṁskāra totally, completely, that saṁskāra leaves you! It drops from your being. Completion directly liberates you from karma.

Please listen! Every birth is your declaration of completion and you start the whole thing anew. But during your birth, when you fall from the space of completion, you bring some of your past incompletions back. That is what is prārabdha karma.

Karma that you bring back from the past incompletions is prārabdha karma**. If you don't fall at all and continue to be in the space of completion, you don't become incomplete at all, then, you are an Incarnation!**

What you remember at Death, So you attain

Kṛṣṇa says, '*yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ–*whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O Kaunteya, that state he will attain without fail (8.6).' If we are unconscious at the time of leaving the body, we naturally take lower level bodies in our next birth; we come back as beings, which do not have a high level of consciousness.

After the first four layers, the three inner layers where all our blissful memories are stored are called heaven. Even if we are stuck there, we need to move on. Even our puṇya, merits, are karma, which will not allow us to be enlightened. This is the path on which a man can easily leave and liberate himself, and also the path on which he can suffer and destroy himself. Both ways are now shown by Kṛṣṇa. These are the major obstructions when we leave the body.

Be Sure To Reach Me (8.7-8.10)

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Arjuna, you should always think of Me. You should always be in My state of Consciousness even in your activities. Let your mind and intelligence be fixed in My Consciousness. You will attain Me without doubt.' Again He uses the words, 'without doubt, you will achieve Me, mām evaiṣyasy asaṁśayaḥ. (8.7)'

Whatever we think during our whole life, the same thought will come to us in the end also. At the time of death, we will not be able to remember what we want to remember. Our Consciousness will not be under our control at that time. The totality of our whole life will come up. That is why He says, 'Even when you do your duty, may you be absorbed in Me mayy arpita mano buddhir(8.7).' This means that when we live, we should continuously be in the witnessing consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The Supreme Witness

The next question: 'How can I be in the witnessing mode when I live my regular life?' Start in a simple way. When you drive, when you sit, when you talk, see what is happening inside and outside you. if we just witness the body and mind, we will automatically come back for that experience, for that peace, again. Go into the consciousness of your being. Experience Samādhi so that all hindrances disappear. You will experience the ultimate, eternal consciousness.

While in the body, if we have experienced thoughtless awareness, Universal consciousness, for a single moment without the body and mind, that is what I call Samādhi. Sometimes, if we decide to take birth, we can even take a conscious birth, like the great Masters!

Kṛṣṇa says yogabraṣṭha. We take birth in a family that will be conducive to our spiritual growth, which will not create obstacles to our spiritual practices. Kṛṣṇa says that only very rarely do souls take birth in this type of family.

Remember Me Constantly (8.11-8.14)

Kṛṣṇa gives different ways to attain Brahman or God or Ultimate consciousness. He says that people learned in the Vedas attain Brahman. This does not mean that we need to just read the vedas and then forget about them. Kṛṣṇa speaks at a far deeper level.

Remember what Kṛṣṇa says in the last verse. He says that whatever we think of at the time of death is directly related to our next birth. If someone is completely immersed in the scriptures, his thoughts will continuously be along those lines. That is what Kṛṣṇa means by His words 'Immerse yourself in the scriptures'. Keep reading some scripture or the other and imbibe its truth. This is what Kṛṣṇa wants!

When our thoughts are always directed towards Self-realization, our thoughts will be of Enlightenment at the time of death also. Kṛṣṇa continuously tells Arjuna the importance of the last thought before death. it is a powerful technique. People have used these words and left their bodies gracefully, understand that! They merged with the Ultimate Consciousness by practicing these techniques.

When we direct our thoughts to the Divine, greed and fear are completely wiped out. Our whole being is filled with gratitude to the Divine. Our thoughts, our devotion to the Divine should be out of pure gratitude to Existence.

One Who Attains My Consciousness, Is Never Reborn (8.15-18)

Now He says, 'After attaining Me, the great souls who are steeped in yoga never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. (8.15)

He says, 'Let Existence take care.' All his responsibilities are handed over to Existence. There is a great relief inside when that state of surrender happens. We suddenly light up in joy. We consider something as misery because we think we control it. That is why, when something does not happen according to our expectations, we see it as misery.

But an Enlightened being is not like that. He simply flows. Whatever comes, he accepts it and surrenders it to Existence.

Kṛṣṇa now talks about the misery-filled world and we see how good deeds cannot get us out of the cycle of birth and death.

'From the highest planet of Brahmaloka down to the lowest, all are places of misery of repeated birth and death. But one who attains Me, one who attains My being, one who attains My Consciousness, never takes birth again— punar janma na vidyate (8.16).'

Even if we reach the Cosmic layer of Brahmaloka, the land of the Divine, we must come back and take birth again. It means that even if we are full of good deeds, we must come back into a body.

When we live in the body, at least once, by meditating or by surrender, experience one glimpse of thoughtless, restful awareness. Work intensely for it, for at least one glimpse of the witnessing consciousness, the space of completion. The Enlightened Master's initiation, the Inner Awakening is the torch of Consciousness that guides us through this path, through our living and leaving.

Experience His LīlĀ, Cosmic Play

Throughout this chapter Kṛṣṇa conveys the single message:

Experience His Consciousness, thoughtless, witnessing consciousness in which Kṛṣṇa stays and plays the whole game of life, how He lives through the whole of Life. That is why Kṛṣṇa's life is called līlā, Cosmic play, Kṛṣṇa līlā.

Kṛṣṇa conveys one thing: All we need to do is work to achieve a glimpse of thoughtless awareness, the space of completion. In the next few chapters, He speaks deeply on how to open every layer, how to clean and complete with every layer and how to achieve the Conscious glimpse or the thoughtless awareness. He says further:

'By human calculation, the thousand ages taken together form the duration of Brahma's one day and such also is the duration of his night.'

One year for us is one day for the devatas, demigods. For Brahma, a thousand ages are taken as one day. Only when we achieve the consciousness of nirvāṇa—thoughtless awareness, will we not take rebirth.

My Supreme Abode (8.19-8.22)

Kṛṣṇa explains how transient this material world is. During a single 'blink of Brahma'—the Lord of creation, so many things change. In our concept of time, we see things as permanent, but when we operate in a different space and time, all this becomes temporary.

Our ignorance makes us think that all that we see is real and permanent. When we understand that at higher dimensions, all that we see is destroyed and created continuously, we realize the futility of holding onto things, even our own body.

Kṛṣṇa says that in all this creation and destruction, only one thing is neither created nor destroyed and that is the 'Ultimate Consciousness'!

What we think of as an age is a fraction of a second to Brahma and everything we see as permanent is being made and destroyed every time Brahma blinks. Do not analyze the literal meaning of this. Kṛṣṇa refers to the concept of time and space as it exists in the Ultimate Consciousness it.

The spirit travels through the seven layers at the time of death. The first four layers are related to the physical body-mind system. They store emotional memories: patterns related to desires, guilt and pain experienced during that lifetime. The fifth layer is experienced during deep sleep and when leaving the body. The sixth layer is associated with happy memories and the seventh layer is beyond sorrow and happiness; it is the Ultimate consciousness.

The Abode Of No Return

The secret to liberation is what Kṛṣṇa gives here–'One who attains My abode will never return, yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (8.21).'

The abode where one will not return to refers to the state of the being when it transcends joys and sorrow. Kṛṣṇa again and again talks about focusing one's thoughts on the Divine. The only way to think of the Divine at the time of our death is by thinking about Him all the time. At that time, we suddenly cannot think of God. In such pain and suffering, we suddenly can't think of God if we have always been thinking about money and food in our life. It is impossible.

That is why Kṛṣṇa insists upon continuous devotion to the Supreme—*bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā (*8.22). When we live in a state of continuous devotion, our last thought will be of the Divine. There is no doubt about it. When we are immersed in thoughts of God, our inner space is purified and transforms into the space of completion. Completion is God! We are preparing our Self. At the time of death, these thoughts will liberate us. Constantly thinking about God enriches us when our soul passes through the energy layers at the time of death.

Passing In Light (8.23-8.26)

Kṛṣṇa describes at what time and how one can achieve Enlightenment. He also talks about how people come back into this cycle of birth and death.

He says: Those who know the Supreme Divine attain that Supreme by passing away from the world during the influence of Agni, the fire-god, during light or at an auspicious moment, also during the fortnight of the waxing moon or during the six months that the sun travels in the north, referred to as uttarāyaṇaṁ.

Understand, these are not chronological calendars. When He says uttarāyaṇaṁ, Kṛṣṇa means when our mind is totally balanced and unagitated. In Mahābhārat, Bhīśma Pitāmaḥ waits for uttarāyaṇaṁ to leave the body. Don't think he waited for January. He waited until his mind settled down from the incompletions, and he establishes himself in the space of completion. It is a pure conscious choice.

So, when Kṛṣṇa says agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ, He means if we are conscious...agnir jyotir... means when your being is conscious... when your being is fully alive, awakened, naturally you go up. (śuklaḥ means going above, kṛṣṇa means going down).

Kṛṣṇa says brahma brahmavido janāḥ. He means that if we have always lived with our attention towards higher consciousness, we will travel in that path and disappear into Brahman.

According to the Vedas, there are two ways to pass from this world:

one in light and one in darkness—śukla-kṛṣṇa gatī hy ete jagataḥ śāśvate mate. When one passes in light, he does not return, but when one passes in darkness, he comes back again—*ekayā yāty anāvṛttim ananyāvartate punaḥ (*8.26).

Be Fixed In Devotion (8.27-8.28)

Kṛṣṇa summarizes the essence of the whole chapter.

He says, 'O Pārtha, the devotees who know these different paths are never bewildered. Therefore O Arjuna, at all times, be always fixed in devotion, yoga-yukto bhavārjuna (8.27).

A person who understands the different paths that a spirit can take while leaving the body will always be prepared for death. He immerses himself in devotion, yoga throughout his life for liberation. The last thought while leaving the body governs the path that the spirit chooses when entering the next body. Again and again He emphasizes that this thought cannot be Divine unless we spend our entire lives in devotional service. Kṛṣṇa says, if one engages in activities with devotion, then He will be there at the time of one's death.

He has given intellectual knowledge, śāstra until now. In the following chapters, He gives deeper level techniques, sūtras to experience this Truth.

Let us pray to that Ultimate Energy, Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, to give us intelligence and the experience of thoughtless awareness, witnessing consciousness, ātma jñāna, the eternal bliss, Nityānanda. Thank you.