Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, Verse 4

Chapter 8 – Akshara Brahma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् ।
अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ॥

Transliteration

adhibhūtaṃ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaścādhidaivatam .
adhiyajño.ahamevātra dehe dehabhṛtāṃ vara ॥

Meaning

O best of the embodied, the perishable entity is Adhibhuta, the Purusha is Adhidaiva, and I Myself, here in this body, am Adhiyajna.

Word meanings

अधिभूतम् – Adhibhuta
क्षरः – perishable
भावः – entity, nature of being
पुरुषः – the Purusha, the cosmic person
च – and
अधिदैवतम् – Adhidaiva
अधियज्ञः – Adhiyajna
अहम् एव – I myself
अत्र देहे – here in the body
देहभृतां वर – O best of the embodied

Anvaya (word order)

देहभृतां वर, क्षरः भावः अधिभूतम्; पुरुषः च अधिदैवतम्; अत्र देहे अहम् एव अधियज्ञः ।

Explanation

This verse defines the last three terms. Adhibhuta is the kshara bhava, the perishable: the whole material world that is born, changes and passes away. The body, objects and everything made of the great elements fall under it. In relation to living beings it means all the changing things on which the results of action appear.

Adhidaiva is here called the Purusha. For Shankara this is Hiranyagarbha, the first cosmic person, the collective form of the deities presiding over the senses; in other words, the conscious powers that govern creation and our own faculties. Ramanuja sees the Purusha as the chief among the gods such as Brahma. Both are speaking of a divine level above mere matter, which administers the world.

The most important statement comes last: adhiyajno'ham evatra dehe, I Myself am the Lord of sacrifice, in this very body. This answers Arjuna's question about how he is present in the body. The Lord is the inner witness and controller who receives every act of worship and action and gives its fruit. Whatever happens in the body has Him as final witness and master.

The address Dehabhritam vara, best of the embodied, is also meaningful: though you are embodied, you can know the indweller, and that is what makes you excellent.

Context

Verse 8.3 defined Brahman, Adhyatma and Karma. This verse completes the answers to the remaining three terms: Adhibhuta, Adhidaiva, Adhiyajna. From the next verse the question about remembering at death is taken up.

Life lesson

Do not get entangled in perishable things, since they change. Remembering that the Lord sits within as the witness and master of every action brings alertness and purity to life.

Key terms

अधिभूत: the perishable world of elements and changing matter
अधिदैव: the cosmic person; presiding deities of the senses
अधियज्ञ: the Lord of sacrifice, the Lord himself as indweller
देहभृतां वर: best among embodied beings, Arjuna