CHAPTER8- AKSHARABRAHMAYOGA
THE WAY TO IMPERISHABLE BRAHMAN
Arjuna became curious about the terms Adhidhaiva etc and asks Krishna to explain them., which was the exactly what Krishna intended, by mentioning them. The really good teacher should incite curiosity in the mind of the pupil which kindles the desire to know. That is what Krishna has done at the end of the seventh adhyaya of Gita and now in this eighth adhyaya he starts explaining the terms and also showing the stages in attaining Brahman.
Arjuna uvaacha -- Arjuna said;
1.kim thath brahma kim aDhyaathmam kim karma purushotthama
aDhibhootham cha kim proktham aDhihaivam kim uchyathe
2. aDhiyajnaH kaTham ko athra dhehe asmin maDhusudhana
prayaaNakaale cha kaTham jneyo asi niyathaathmabhiH
Arjuna asks seven questions:
(i)..kim thath brahma-what is that Brahman ?
(ii). kim aDhyAthma-what is the innerself?
(iii). kim karma- what is action?
(iv)..aDHibhootham cha kim prOktham--what are the elements?
(v).aDhidhaivam kim uchyathe - What is said to be the divinities?
(vi).aDhiyajnah kaTham kO athra asmin dhEhe - who in this body operates the sacrifices and how?
(vii).prayANakAle cha kaTham jnEyo asi niyathAthmabhih- At the time of departure from this world how are you to be known by the self-controlled?
Krishna is addressed in these slokas as Purushotthama, meaning the supreme soul and Madhusudhana, the slayer of Madhu as Lord Narayana.
SREE BHAGVAAAN UVAACHA -THE LORD SAID;
3. aksharam brahma paramam svabhaavo aDhyaathmauchyathe
bhoothabhaavodhbhavakarovisargaH karmasamjnithaH
4.aDhibhootham ksharo bhaavahpurushaScha aDhidhaivatham
aDhiyajno aham eva athradhehe dhehabhrthaam vara
5. anthaH kale cha maam eva smaran mukthvaa kalebaram
yah prayaathi sa madhbhaavam yaathi naasthi athrasamsayaH
Krishna answers the questions briefly and then elucidates in the subsequent slokas
(i). aksharam brahma paramam- the supreme brahman is the imperishable..
(ii). svabhavah aDHyAthmam uchyathE- ' The inner self is the subjective self in each body whose real nature is Brahman, the supreme self.
Here svabhava is not to be understood as one's nature but it is 'svasya bhavah.
(iii).bhoothabhAvah udhbhavakarah visargah karmasajnithah- action is the creation that brings all beings into existence.
(iv).adhibhootham ksharObhavah- elements that constitute perishable existence.
(v). purushascha aDHidhaivatham- the divinities mean the Supreme Self.
(vi).adHiyajnO ahamEva athra dhEhE - I am the one who resides in the body effecting sacrificial acts.
(vii). anthakAlE cha mAmEva smaran mukthvA kalEbaram yah prayAthi sa madhbhAvam yAthi- At the time of death the one who gives up his body remembering Me alone attains Me. There is no doubt about this .
6. yam yam vaapi smaran bhaavam thyajathi anthe kalebaram
tham tham eva ethi kountheya sadhaathadhbhaavabhaavithaH
One who leaves the body thinking of any being , he goes only to that because of his continuous thought of that alone.
As the final thought causes the new body whatever one thinks in the end, so he becomes.
This does not seem to be as accidental as it looks. It is not just any random thought that comes to your mind at the last moment of your life that will determine your next janma. The thought that repeatedly comes foremost in our minds will only occur to us in the last moment. So in order to think of the Lord in the last moment the thought of Him should be foremost all through the life.
Kountheya means Arjuna, son of Kunthi.
7. thasmaath sarveshu kaaleshu maam anusmara yuDhya cha
mayyarpitha mano budDhiH maam eve eshyasi asamSayam
Therefore at all times remember Me and fight. Without any doubt you will come to Me only with your mind and intellect concentrated on Me.
This is confirmed by the words of Krishna who says 'thasmAth mAm anusmara yuDHya cha.', which means that whatever you do, here fighting, as far as Arjuna is concerned, always think of the Lord. This is what Ramanuja means by dhruvasmrthi, a constant flow of thought that runs undercurrent in your mind which he calls dhyana.
This is the way to attain the supreme, Krishna says,' Mayyarpitha mano buddhih mAmEvaishasyasamsayah , when you have your mind and intellect fixed on me you will reach me without doubt.' How to do this? It is explained in the next sloka.
8.abhyaasayogayukthena chethasaa na anyagaaminaa
paramam purusham dhivyam yaathi paartha anuchinthayan
With repeated practice, with mind not diverted by anything else, continuously meditating, one can attain the supreme divine Purusha.
The epithets abhyaasayogayukthena, with repeated practice, chethasaa na anyagaaminaa, with mind not diverted by anything else and anuchinthayan, continuous meditation all point out to dhruvasmrthi referred in the last sloka.
In the sixth chapter it is said that controlling the mind is possible through practice and detachment `abhyaasena thu kountheya vairaagyeNa cha grhyethe.'(BG.6.35) Here the importance of abhyasa is stressed and the vairagya, detachment is indicated by na anyagaaminaa chethasaa, mind which is not wavering. Consistency and persistence is essential in yoga. By constantly contemplating on something one reaches the state of the object of contemplation.
To meditate on an object you must have a clear picture of it in your mind. The attributes of the supreme are given in the next sloka.
9.kavim puraanam anuSasithaaram
aNoraNeeyaamsam anusmareth yaH
sarvasaya dhaathaaram achinthya roopam
aadhithyavarNam thamasaH parasthaath
One who remembers (at the time of departure) the wise, ancient and the ruler, subtler than the subtle, the upholder of all, whose form is beyond thought and expression and who is resplendent like the sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance, (attains the supreme Purusha )
Kavi- The word normally understood to mean a poet actually means 'far sighted or omniscient,' Brahman is referred to as kavi denoting the omniscience, puraaNA, ancient, meaning eternal, anuSaasithaa, ruler of the whole world being transcendent and aNOh aNeeyaamsam, subtler than the subtle, denoting the imminence, hence sarvasyaDhaatha, the supporter of all, acinthya roopam beyond thought, being dhesakala vasthu aparicchannam, not limited by place, time or entity, thus not limited by thought or expression, Adhithya varnam, being luminous with the timeless light of consciousness and hence thamasah parasthAth, beyond the darkness of ignorance.
The Lord is called kavi because He knows everything past, present and future as He Himself said `vedhaaham samavethaani varthmaanaani cha arjuna, bhavishyaaNi cha bhoothaani maam thu na veda kaSchana' (Ch.7.26) This denotes His sarvajnathva, omniscience. He knows everything because they came from Him who is the first and only existence. Hence He is puraaNa, ancient.
Since He is the creator sustainer and the annihilator everything is under His control hence He is anuSaasithaa, ruler of the whole world. He is the first cause and activates the whole universe being transcendent, all pervading and immanent, inner self of all. Though all pervading, He is subtler than the subtlest, the atom, aNoraNeeyaan mahatho maheeyaan , says the Upanishad, He is subtler than the atom and larger than the largest , the space.
He . being omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, all-knowing, all powerful and all pervading, He is the giver of all sarvasya Dhaathaaram, including the result of one's karma. But He is beyond the perception of senses, mind and intellect, achinthyaroopam. Yet He is all-light, like the Sun. As long as the Sun is not there one can see nothing in total darkness Similarly as long as the wisdom does not arise, The Lord cannot be seen in the darkness of ignorance, But one the jnana rises like the Sun, .there is no more darkness and the reality is visible but not through the senses, mind and intellect which are the products of ignorance. The sun is always there but we cannot see it because of our limitations of perception. This is what is meant by aadhithyavarnam, who is thamasaH parasthaath, beyond darkness because like the Sun there is no darkness of ignorance when He manifests.
10.prayaaNa kale mansaa achalena
bhakthyaa yuktho yogabalena chaiva
bhruvormaDhye praanam aaveSya samyak
sa tham param purusham upaithi dhivyam
At the time of death with a steadfast mind, full of devotion and with the power of yoga, fixing the vital force between the eyebrows, he attains the supreme Purusha.
Next Krishna makes a brief reference to the technique of yoga as outlined earlier. A yogi sustains the life force, prANa, between the brows and remembering the supreme reality at the time of death reaches the divine. This sloka outlines the stages attained through the power of yoga. The phrase yogabala means the steadiness of mind produced from the accumulation of thoughts centered on Brahman. PrayaaNA kAle , at the time of departure from the body a yogi first sees the Lord in the lotus of his heart and then by stages conquers the planes of yogic experience till he causes the prANA to enter the space between the eyebrows to enable it to leave through the sukshmanadi in the head. Such a yogi reaches the supreme self, 'param purusham upaithi'
Remembering that these six chapters are about bhakthi yoga, This sloka is to be taken in that sense only and not as the description of ashtangayoga. The stages reached by hatayoga are also reached through single pointed devotion by a bhaktha easily.
11. yadhaksharam vedhavidho vadhanthi
visanthi yath yathayo veetharaagaaH
yath icChantho brahmacharyam charanthi
thath the padham sangraheNa pravakshye
That which is instructed by those who know the import of the Vedas, that into which enter the renounced souls who have no desires, that wishing to attain which those on the path of Brahman follow brahmacharya, that I will tell you in brief.
The import of the Vedas is Brahman. This is known to those who have understood the meaning of the Vedas, vedhavidhaH, and they instruct others about it. The word akshara means that which never perishes. Brahman alone is imperishable.
Those who have given up desire and attachment, veetha raagaaH, and have renounced the world, yathayaH, enter into Brahman, meaning that they realize Brahman as their real self. Entering in makes sense only if the place entered is different from the one who enters. But Brahman is everywhere and the self of all and there is no question of entering into it. Thus it is the entry into the truth of Brahman, from ignorance to wisdom. The individual self realizing that the real self is only Brahman.
The aspirant wishing to realize the self, yath icChanthaH, follows the discipline of brahamcharya, celibacy, which here means the control of mind and the senses.
In Katopanishad the same idea is expressed thus.
sarvevedaaH yath padham aamananthi
thapaamsi sarvaaNi cha yath vadhanthi
yadhicChantho brahmacharyam charanthi
thath padham sangrheNa braveemi om ithi ethath
The state which all Vedas describe, which all austerities explain wishing which the brahmacharya is followed I will tell you about it in brief. That is OM.
About that , Brahman, Krishna says that he will explain in brief to Arjuna
12. sarvadhvaaraaNi samyamya mano hrdhi niruDhya cha
moorDhni aaDhaaya aathmanaH praNam aasThithoyogaDhaaraaNam
Closing all the gates of outlet, mind centered in the heart, fixing the vital breath at the head, engaged in yoga,
13. om ithi ekaalsharam brahma vyaaharan maam anusmaran
yaH prayaathi thyajan dheham sa yaathi paramaamgathim
One who leaves the body, chanting the single syllable Om, the symbol of Brahman and thinking of Me continuously, attains the supreme goal.
sarvadhvaaraaNi samyamya- There are ten sense organs in the body through which the contact with the external world is maintained. Closing the gates means sense control which pertains to the body.
Mano hrdhi niruDHya- Hrdh, the heart here means the seat of emotions. Even if the senses are controlled the mind may be dwelling on the sense objects. Hence the mind must be controlled.
The first line of the sloka thus implies Sama and dhama disciplines of the yoga, that is, internal and external control of the mind and the senses. Thus body and mind controlled the next is the concentration technique by breath control.
moorDhni aaDhaaya aathmanaH praaNam- This pertains to the control of the intellect by concentration denoted by the term fixing the life breath in the head. Thus the body , mind and the intellect are integrated.
Om ithi ekaaksharam Brahma- The Brahman is symbolized by the syllable Om, The Upanishad says,
Ethath ekaaksharam brahma ethath eva aksaram param
Ethath eva aksharam jnaathvaa yo yadhicChathi thasya thath (Katopanishad-1.2.16)
This syllable , (meaning Om) is Brahman, This is the imperishable supreme reality. Knowing this alone one gets what he wants.
maam anusmaran- contemplating on Me, Brahman, synonymous with Narayana of Visishtadhvaitha referred to as Me.
One who leaves his body thus, attains the highest goal that is, Moksha. Thus Krishna has answered all the questions asked by Arjuna in the beginning of the chapter.
After reiterating the idea expressed in second line of the last sloka, namely the last thought about the Lord on leaving the body secures freedom from rebirth in the next two slokas Krishna traces the journey of the soul on leaving the body in the case of those who have not attained the highest goal described above.
14. ananyachethaaH sathatham yo maam smarathi nithyaSaH
thasya aham sulabhaH paarThaa nithyayukthasya yoginaH
To the yogi who remembers Me always at all times with concentration everyday, without any other thought, I become easily attainable O Parthaa.
15. maam upethya punarjanma dhuhkhaalayam aSaasvathanm
na aapnuvanthi mahaathmaanaH samsidDhimimparamaamgathaaH
Attaining Me, the great souls who have reached the highest goal, do not get into rebirth which is the abode of sorrow and which is impermanent.
These two slokas are mere reiteration of what was said in two previous slokas.
Ananya chethaaH – without thinking of anything else. This implies the control of body, mind and intellect outlined previously.
Sathatham smarathi mithyaSah- remembering, smarathi, always, sathatham, nithyasaH at all times.
Nithya yukthasya yoginaH- The yogi who has his mind integrated in the Lord everyday. Here the term yoga means only to bhakthiyoga as the chapters 7 to 12 are about bhakthi yoga only even though the technique of yoga as understood commonly, that is, ashtanga yoga, is referred to by the last two slokas. The words thasya aham sulabhaH, "to him, I am easily attainable" confirms only bhakthiyoga. In chapter 11 the Lord says bhakthyaathu ananyayaa SakyaH, "I am not to be seen like this except through devotion."
Those who have attained the highest state described in the previous sloka 13, never revert back into rebirth. The rebirth is mentioned as the abode of sorrow dhuhkhaalayam, and impermanent, aSaasvatham, Everyone dislikes death but never seems to understand that as long as there is birth the death is certain. Not only that, but also the birth brings in its wake all the sorrows of samsara. It is impermanent, because it ends with death only to start again. So to end the ills of samsara and death is to end the rebirth punarjanma. The only way to do this is to attain the Lord. Hence Krishna says maamupethya punarjanma na aapnuvanthi., those who attain Me do not have rebirth
16. aabrahmabhuvanaallokaaH punaraavarthino arjuna
maam upethya thu kountheya punarjanma na vidhyathe
Till the region of Brahma all worlds cause rebirth only, Arjuna. But on attaining Me there is no rebirth, Oh son of Kunthi.
There are 14 lokas listed in the puranas, seven above earth and seven below. The Brahmaloka is the highest limit because all beings are created by Brahma, the creator. Actually these lokas are not places of residence but only realms of consciousness. Till brahmaloka the "I" consciousness exists and hence these realms of consciousness are not eternal but causes rebirth once the merit acquired to reach these lokas is exhausted. In the second chapter Krishna said `rasavarjam raso pi asya param dhrshtvaa nivearthathe.' Theimpressions or vasanas that cause rebirth are not destroyed but lie dormant until the realization of Brahman, denoted by paramdhrshtvaa.
Hence worlds upto and including Brahmaloka are subjected to return and "only on reaching Me," says Krishna, " there is no return." That is, the souls reaching these places have rebirth. The reason for this is indicated in the next sloka.
17. sahasrayugaparyantham ahahaH yath brhamaNo vidhuH
rAthrim yugasaharaanthaam thE ahOrAthravidho janAh.
The wise who know (conception of ) the day and night know that the day of Brahma lasts for 1000 yugas. Thousand yugas form the night.
Even the world of Brahma is finite in time. Those who have the knowledge of time say that the day of Brahma lasts for 1000 chathuryugas and the nights are of the same duration.
The yuga here means the devayuga which is the total of 4 yugas of mortals. Thousand such yugas make one day for Brahma. The kaliyuga for men lasts for 4,32,000 human years. Dhvaparayuga for 8,64,000 human years, that is double of kaliyuga. Thretha yuga lasts for 12,96,000 human years, that is 3 times kaliyuga. Sathyayuga is for 17.28,000 human years or four times kaliyuga. The total years for the four yugas is thus 43,20,000 human years, which is equal to one devayuga. Thousand times deva yuga makes one day for Brahma and another thousand make the night. Mind boggling!
Those who know this are the wise who has the knowledge that, all the worlds including that of brahma are not permanent, however long is their duration compared to that of the earth.
18. avyakthaath vyakthayaH sarvaah prabhavanthi aharagame
raathryaagame praleeyanthe thathraiva avyakthasanjhake
All become manifest from the unmanifest at the daybreak (of Brahma). At the nightfall they merge in there into the unmanifest
19. bhoothagraamaH sa evaayam bhoothvaa bhotthvaa praleeyathe
raathryaagame avasaH paarTha prabhavanthi aharaagame
The aggregate of beings thus again and again appear from and merge into (the unmanifest) at the night (of Brahma) which is not in their control
When it is night for Brahma all beings are dissolved in the unmanifest and are born again when the day dawns for Brahma. All beings exist in the unmanifest state and again become manifest at the day break. when Brahma starts the creation. The karma of beings which determine the nature of their creation is in subtle state and becomes gross when they are born again. Thus the dissolution at the end of 1000yugas serves as a temporary rest for all creatures, like a long sleep.
In Ninth chapter Krishna mentions about the mahaapralaya when even Brahma ceases to exist and the Lord starts the creation including that of Brahma. But here at the night of Brahma it is avaanthara pralaya after which Brahma starts his creation again.
20. parah thasmaath thu bhaavaH anyaH avyaktho avyakthaHsanaathanaH
yaH sa sarveshu bhootheshu naSyathsu na vinasyathi
When it is the night of Brahma all beings sentient and insentient are said to exist in unmanifest state. This is the avyaktha which is jada, known as prakrthi, or primordial nature. The Supreme Purusha who is the first existence mentioned as sath in the upanishats, which existed one only without a second, is the Unmanifest other than and higher than, paraH anyaH avyakthaH, the unmanifest, avyakthaath, mentioned earlier. This is the ancient Brahman ever existent who does not perish when all else perishes, being the eternal and primal cause.
In simple words, all beings become unmanifest at pralaya but are not destroyed. When the pot is destroyed it exists in the form of potsherds and when they also are powdered they merge into the mud from where they came. Hence according to Ramanuja nothing is unreal and when destroyed it exists in another form. When the whole world is destroyed it means that the form in which they were perceivable are destroyed but they do exist in an unperceivable form which is called unmanifest . During the time of deluge the elements themselves are absorbed into the primordial nature but they should exist in an unmanifest form in order to come back in creation. This is the unmanifest mentioned in avanthara pralaya and mahapralaya.
But the primordial nature itself which is unmanifest must have a substratum to emerge again as it cannot evaporate into nothingness. This is the supreme Unmanifest called akshara which is ever existing and changeless, otherwise known as Brahman or sath, synonymous with Lord Narayana of Visishtadvaita.
21. avyaktho akshara ithyukthaH tham aahuH paramaamgathim
yam praapya na nivarthanthe thadDhaama paramam mama
This imperishable Unmanifest being is the highest goal to be reached. Attaining that there is no return to the world again and this is the supreme abode of Me.
The highest goal of life is moksha or salvation which means freedom from embodiment. Hence Krishna terms it as paramaam gathi, the supreme goal. This is possible only when the individual soul realises its true identity as a part and parcel of the infinite Brahman, who is Unmanifest, avyakthaH and imperishable, akshara. Reaching that state of realization, yam praapya, there is no more birth, that is no more return to embodied state, na nivarthanthe. That is the abode of Me, says, Krishna, speaking as the Supreme Purusha.
22. purushaH sa paraH paarTha bhakthyaa labhyaH thuananyayaa
yasya anthasThaani bhoothaani yena sarvam idhamthatham
That Supreme Purusha could not be attained except through devotion. He is the one in whom all beings exist and who pervades all.
Who is this purusha? He is the one in whom all beings dwell and by whom all this is pervaded.' That is, Brahman. He is the supreme and unexcelled. Within Him dwells all beings because He is the cause of all and the effects must be necessarily be pervaded by the cause as pots are by the mud. Thus He is all-pervading like the akasa in which everything exists and which exists in everything. Attaining Him alone is the guarantee for no return.
How to attain Him? Only through devotion, ,says Krishna. From the rise of desire for moksha till one attains it the grace of the Lord is required at each and every step as in the amrthamaThana, where the Lord gave the idea , helped to lift the mountain, supported it on His back, churned the ocean along with them, entered into them to give them strength and finally helped to get it for the devas from asuras, who grabbed it at the last moment. AmrthamaThana signifies the spiritual progress and the brahmajnana which secures immortality is the amrtha. The upanishat says . `yamaivesha vrNuthe thena labhyathe,' It is only the one whom He chooses attains brahmajnana. But how to make sure that he will choose us. By having steadfast devotion we can be sure of His grace as when a devotee takes one step towards Him the Lord takes ten.
23.yathra kale thu anaavrtthim aavrtthim chaiva yoginaH
pryaathaa yaanthi tham kaalam vakshyaami bharatharshabha
Oh bull among the clan of Bharatha, I will tell you about the time when the departed yogis leaving this earth either return or attain the point of no return.
Then Krishna explains the journey of the soul of the yogis who attain brahman and those who return to earth.
24. agnih jyothiH ahaH SuklaH shaNmaasaa utthraayaNam
thathra pryaathaa gacChanthi brahma brhamavidho janaaH
The fire, light, day, the bright fortnight, the six months of uttharayaNam, northern solar movement, is the time departing when the knowers of Brahman attain salvation and do not come back to earth.
25.Dhoomo raathriH thaThaa krshnaH shaNmaasaadhakshiNaayanam
thathra chaandhramasam jyothiH yogee praapya nivarthathe
Those who depart at the time of smoke, night, the dark fortnight and dhakshiNAyana, the six months of the sun's southern course, reach the lunar light and return to earth.
The word yogi is used to differentiate between those who aspire for moksha and others who return to earth in any case.
26.SuklakrshNa gathee hyethe jagathaH SaaSvathe mathe
ekayaa yaanthi anaavrtthim anyayaa aavarthathe punaH
The bright and dark paths are these which exist always in the world. Proceeding by one assures no return and by the other, one returns.
The words, light, day etc. do not indicate merely the landmarks of the departing soul but represent the deities ordained by the Lord to guide the soul.. Thus there are two courses , one of light, archiradhi marga or devayaana and the other dhooma marga, pithryaana, that of smoke, and the first is that, the soul departing by which does not return and departing by the second , it does return.
27.Naithe srthee paarTha jaanan yogee muhyathi kaSchana
thasmaath sarveshu kaaleshu yogayuktho bhava Arjuna
A yogi knowing about these two paths does not get deluded. Therefore Arjuna, be yogi at all times.
But the question that arises is that whether a man dying in the night and in dhakshiNayana even if he is a yogi, never attains Brahman? The answer is given by Badharayana in Brahmasuthra. The karma of the man of knowledge comes to an end at the time of leaving his body in his last life, he attains Brahman though he dies at night. This is proved by the text. The text quoted, namely, 'dhivaa cha suklapakshascha uttharaayaNam eva cha; mumoorshathaam prasasthaani vipareetham thu garhitham, daytime, the bright half of the month and the northern progress of the sun are excellent for those about to die; the contrary times are unfavorable, ' is for those who have not attained knowledge.
Ramanuja says in Sribhashya commenting on the Brahma suthra athaschaayanepi dhakshiNe,( 4-2-19),' For the same reason even dying in dakshiNAyana the enlightened attains Brahman,' says,
`But a doubt arises that because it is said that those who die in DhakshiNAyana reach the world of pithrs and while those who die in utthraAyaNa reach the moon. The former are said to return to earth when their merits are exhausted. Bhishma and others who were enlightened, awaited the uttharAyaNa and hence it looks as though those who die in dhakshiNAyana cannot attain Brahman.
The answer to this is that those who have knowledge, even when they go to the world of the moon, do not return to earth but go further to attain Brahman and the stay in the world of the moon is only a rest for them. Mahanarayana upanishad declares that from there one reaches Brahman. 'thasmaath brahmaNah mahimanam Apnothi.' ( (Mahanarayana. 25-1) Bhishma and others postponed their death not because they cannot attain Brahman by dying in dhakshiNAyana but only to demonstrate the glory of uttharAyana for promoting dharma and AchAra. `
28. vedheshu yajneshyu tthapaasu chaiva
dhaaneshu yath puNyaphalam pradhishtam
athyethi thath sarvamidham vidhithvaa
yogee param sThaanam upaithi chaadhyam
The yogi who knows all this transcends the fruits declared by mastering the Vedas, performing yajnas and penances, giving away to charity, and reaches the highest status.
Krishna ends the subject of the departure of the soul thus. The yogi who has known and practised properly what has been stated in this chapter in the course of answering the seven questions, surpasses all the meritorious fruits of mastering the vedas, sacrifices rightly performed, penances well undergone, and the gifts duly offered and attains Brahman, which is the highest goal.