(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

The Brahman Is The Name Given To The Supreme Entity The Material Realm Includes Time, Space, The Chain Of Cause And Effect, And So On

श्रीभगवानुवाच |

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते |
भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्ग: कर्मसञ्ज्ञित: || 3||

śhrī bhagavān uvācha

akṣharaṁ brahma paramaṁ svabhāvo ’dhyātmam uchyate
bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo visargaḥ karma-sanjñitaḥ|| 3||

Shloka Translation

BG – Ch. 8- Ver. 3:

The Lord said: The Supreme Indestructible Entity is known as Brahman, and one’s own self is known as adhyatma, according to the Lord. Karma, or fruitive activities, are actions that connect to the material identity of living beings and their growth.

Explanation

Shree Krishna tells Arjuna in this verse that the Supreme Entity is known as the Brahman. The material realm includes time, space, the chain of cause and effect, and so on. The Brahman, on the other hand, is transcendental to the material realm and hence transcends all of them. Because He is untouched by the changes in the universe, He is referred to as aksharam, or indestructible.

In Sanskrit, the word adhyatma has two meanings. The science of the soul is one, while the route to spirituality is another. Shree Krishna, on the other hand, has used it to refer to one’s own self, which comprises the body, mind, and intellect. Karmas are productive acts that a person engages in. These karmas are what shape each person’s unique conditions of existence over the course of their lives. They keep the soul trapped in samsara, or the material cycle of existence.

Shri Krishna first responds to the inquiry, “What is that brahman?” He claims that brahman is the eternal, imperishable essence . In our scenario, brahman is the light that illuminates the film strip in the movie projector. It has no distinct shape, traits, or characteristics. It’s only a matter of light. It acts as a witness to the events in the film and is unaffected by them. It can exist independently of the film, but the film cannot live without it.

The question “What is adhyaatma?” is addressed next. It is svabhaava, or an individual’s set of attributes, according to Shri Krishna. Each person in the world has their own unique combination of characteristics, a unique variation of sattva, rajas, and tamas. It is termed as adhyaatma or aatma when the universal eternal nature is conditioned or covered by an individual’s qualities.

Last but not least, Shri Krishna responds to the question “What is karma?” It is the force, he claims, that causes the creation of every entity in the cosmos. On one level, it’s the projector’s mechanism that brings the tale contained in the film strip to life. At a deeper level, it’s the animator’s act of drawing the movie’s characters. It is, in essence, the power that transforms an unmanifested thing into a manifested one.

Verse & what we can learn

Brahman is the indestructible, eternal essence. It has no distinct shape, traits, or characteristics. It’s only a matter of light. It acts as a witness and remains unaffected by what is going on around it. Each person in the world has their own unique combination of characteristics, a unique variation of sattva, rajas, and tamas. It is known as adhyaatma or aatma, and it is conditioned or covered by an individual’s qualities.

With one original action, Ishvara put the universe in motion, resulting in the millions and millions of activities that occur in the universe every second. It was the starting point for all future events in the cosmos. However, our ego, our false sense of uniqueness, is deluded into believing that it is the one who does all activities. Each act of individualism causes us to become more identified with our bodies and move further away from liberation. Everything that is unmanifested will ultimately manifest and be dissolved, much like the movie that ends after two hours, only to start all over again.

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

In the Next verse, Shri Krishna expands on the subject adhibhūta; and Adhidaiva.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…