Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, Verse 16

Chapter 8 – Akshara Brahma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन ।
मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥

Transliteration

ābrahmabhuvanāllokāḥ punarāvartino.arjuna .
māmupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ॥

Meaning

All the worlds up to the world of Brahma, O Arjuna, are subject to return; but for one who has reached Me, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth.

Word meanings

आब्रह्मभुवनात् – up to the world of Brahma
लोकाः – the worlds
पुनरावर्तिनः – subject to return
अर्जुन – O Arjuna
माम् – Me
उपेत्य – having reached
तु – but
कौन्तेय – O son of Kunti
पुनर्जन्म – rebirth
न विद्यते – does not exist

Anvaya (word order)

अर्जुन, आब्रह्मभुवनात् लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनः; कौन्तेय, माम् उपेत्य तु पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ।

Explanation

This verse draws a sharp line between all the worlds and the Lord's own state. "From the world of Brahma downward, all worlds are subject to return, O Arjuna; but one who reaches Me, O son of Kunti, has no rebirth." The Lord says that even the loftiest realm in the created universe, Brahmaloka, the abode of the creator, is a place from which souls come back, punar-avartinah.

The idea is that the cosmos has many levels. Beneath the highest are other realms, heavenly worlds where beings enjoy rewards of virtuous action; above are the realm of Brahma and the long life of its Lord. A vast time scale makes these worlds seem permanent, but they are not. Like a person who earns a large salary and spends it over years, souls reach a heavenly place through merit and, when the merit is spent, return. Reaching the Lord, on the other hand, is not a reward measured by merit; it is reaching the source itself, and there is no return.

Shankara explains that all realms up to Brahma's are subject to return, because they are the results of finite actions; but the person who attains the Lord by knowledge is freed. He further notes that those who go to Brahmaloka and gain knowledge there are liberated along with Brahma, a path called krama-mukti. Ramanuja stresses that the Lord's own abode is eternal and that going there, in devotion, is the final freedom. Madhva emphasises that none of the worlds up to Brahma's is permanent, while the Lord's abode is the only unfailing destination.

The verse contains a lesson about ambition. Many people aim for goals which are, in the end, comparable to a higher stage in the same ladder: more wealth, more fame, more comfort, more power. All of these are within the realm of change. The Gita does not despise them, but it says they are not the goal. A mind that has seen the temporary nature of even the highest worldly achievement stops being driven by it, and so works with more freedom.

There is a gentle reassurance too. Spiritual striving is never wasted, but only the Lord can end the cycle. This is the same thought as 9.21, where those who enjoy heaven return when merit is exhausted. The verse leads on to 8.17 to 8.19, where the day and night of Brahma and the rhythm of creation and dissolution are described, to show on what vast scales even Brahma's world arises and passes away.

Context

Verse 8.15 said that those who attain the Lord do not take rebirth. Here that is contrasted with the impermanence of all worlds, and verses 8.17-19 go on to describe Brahma's day and night and the cycle of creation and dissolution.

Life lesson

High positions, pleasures and achievements are all limited in time. Make your final foundation that which can never be taken away, your relationship with God.

Key terms

ब्रह्मभुवन (ब्रह्मलोक): the world of Brahma, the highest world
पुनरावृत्ति: returning again to the cycle
क्रम-मुक्ति: gradual liberation from Brahma's world (Shankara)