Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, Verse 28

Chapter 8 – Akshara Brahma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु चैव
दानेषु यत्पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम् ।
अत्येति तत्सर्वमिदं विदित्वा
योगी परं स्थानमुपैति चाद्यम् ॥

Transliteration

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva dāneṣu yatpuṇyaphalaṃ pradiṣṭam .
atyeti tatsarvamidaṃ viditvā yogī paraṃ sthānamupaiti cādyam ॥

Meaning

Knowing this, the yogi goes beyond whatever fruit of merit is declared for the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and charity, and attains the supreme primeval abode.

Word meanings

वेदेषु – in (the study of) the Vedas
यज्ञेषु – in sacrifices
तपःसु – in austerities
च एव – and also
दानेषु – in charities
यत् पुण्यफलम् – whatever fruit of merit
प्रदिष्टम् – is declared
तत् सर्वम् – all that
अत्येति – goes beyond
इदम् विदित्वा – knowing this
योगी – the yogi
परम् आद्यम् स्थानम् – the supreme, primeval abode
उपैति – attains
च – and

Anvaya (word order)

वेदेषु यज्ञेषु तपःसु दानेषु च एव यत् पुण्यफलं प्रदिष्टम्, योगी इदं विदित्वा तत् सर्वम् अत्येति, आद्यं परं स्थानं च उपैति ।

Explanation

The chapter closes with a verse that celebrates the full value of knowing the teaching just given. "Whatever merit is prescribed for the study of the Vedas, for sacrifices, for austerities and for gifts, the yogi who knows this goes beyond all of that, and attains the supreme, original abode." The word "idam viditva", knowing this, refers to the entire discussion of the chapter: the two paths of departure, the destiny of the yogis, the rhythm of creation and the constancy of the Supreme.

The verse does not belittle the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and charity. They are all praised in the Gita, and the yogi's own life may include them. It is simply stating that the fruit of understanding and realising the Lord is greater than the sum of their individual rewards. Vedic study yields learning and merit; sacrifice yields heavenly enjoyment; austerity yields strength and purification; charity yields good fortune. All are limited, finite and perishable; realising the Supreme is infinite.

Shankara explains that the yogi, knowing the truth taught here, transcends the fruits of all such acts and reaches the original abode of the Supreme, which is Brahman, the origin of everything. Ramanuja stresses that the yogi who knows the Lord as the object of devotion and reaches Him goes beyond the temporary results of all rites, and attains the Lord's eternal abode. Madhva says that the knowledge of the Lord's supremacy, with devotion, wins release which no ritual can match.

An analogy helps. A traveller on a long road gathers various gifts at wayside stations: a meal, a blanket, a map. All these are useful and welcome. But when he reaches home, he no longer needs them; the destination holds more than every gift on the way. So the person who has reached the Supreme leaves behind the need for lesser rewards, without ceasing to be grateful for them.

For a modern seeker, the verse offers a sense of proportion. We might spend much of our life on study, charity, rituals and self-discipline. These are good, but they should not become ends in themselves, nor should we take pride in them. The goal is the knowledge and love of the Lord. The Gita sounds the same note in 2.46, which says that a knower of Brahman finds in the whole Vedas what a person finds in a flooded land, and in 2.45 and 2.53, where the mind turned from the words of scripture becomes steady in samadhi. In 9.20 and 9.21 we see the contrast of limited and unlimited fruit. This brings the chapter to a peaceful close and opens the way to the royal secret of chapter 9.

Context

This is the last verse of chapter 8. Verse 8.27 told the yogi to remain ever steadfast in yoga, and here the highest fruit is stated. In chapter 9 the Lord goes on to the Yoga of Royal Knowledge and Royal Secret.

Life lesson

The fruits of merit and success are good, but not final. One who keeps the mind turned to God even while receiving them gains the highest achievement of life.

Key terms

पुण्यफल: the fruit of meritorious deeds
अत्येति: transcends
आद्य परं स्थान: the primal supreme abode, the Lord's own nature
इदं विदित्वा: knowing this teaching