Arjuna uvaca: Kim tad brahma kim adhyatmam kim karma purushottama, adhibhutam ca kim proktam adhidaivam kim ucyate
Arjuna said: O Supreme Person, what is Brahman? What is the Self (adhyatma)? What is karma? What is called the material manifestation (adhibhuta)? And what is said to be the divine element (adhidaiva)? Arjuna poses seven fundamental questions that frame Chapter 8, seeking clarity on the deepest metaphysical concepts.
- •Sincere questioning is the beginning of spiritual knowledge
- •Brahman, adhyatma, karma, and cosmic principles must all be understood
- •Great teachers like Krishna welcome genuine inquiry from devoted students
Shri bhagavan uvaca: Aksharam brahma paramam svabhavo 'dhyatmam ucyate, bhuta-bhavodbhava-karo visargah karma-samjnitah
The Supreme Lord said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is Brahman, and its eternal nature is called the self (adhyatma). The action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma. Krishna gives precise definitions answering Arjuna's questions, grounding the cosmic framework in clear terms.
- •Brahman is the indestructible, transcendent reality
- •The individual self (adhyatma) is the eternal nature of the soul
- •Karma refers to action that generates material bodies and conditions