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Chapter 8 · Verse 2 · Akshara Brahma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 8.2

devotional Bhakti & Devotion Jnana & Wisdom Self & Identity

Sanskrit

अधियज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्मिन्मधुसूदन। प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः।।8.2।।

Transliteration

adhiyajñaḥ kathaṁ ko ’tra dehe ’smin madhusūdana prayāṇa-kāle cha kathaṁ jñeyo ’si niyatātmabhiḥ

Word by Word

adhiyajñaḥ the Lord all sacrificial performances
katham how
kaḥ who
atra here
dehe in body
asmin this
madhusūdana Shree Krishna, the killer of the demon named Madhu
prayāṇa-kāle at the time of death
cha and
katham how
jñeyaḥ to be known
asi are (you)
niyata-ātmabhiḥ by those of steadfast mind
Simplified Perspective

Arjuna's question cuts to the heart of devotion: how do we recognize the Divine in this fragile body, and how do we hold that recognition when death arrives? Krishna answers not with philosophy alone, but with the assurance that the Lord dwells within sacrifice itself—within every act done with surrender and steadfast intention.

For us today, this means that recognizing the sacred is not about finding Krishna somewhere distant; it's about offering our very breath, our choices, our final moment to something greater than ego.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 8.2 — BG 8.2

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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