For Eternal Beginners
अर्जुन उवाच -
किम् तत् ब्रह्म किम् अध्यात्मम् किम् कर्म पुरुषोत्तम ।
अधिभूतम् च किम् प्रोक्तम् अधिदैवम् किम् उच्यते ॥ १ ॥
अधियज्ञः कथम् कोऽत्र देहे अस्मिन् मधुसूदन ।
प्रयाण काले च कथम् ज्ञेयोऽसि नियतात्मभिः ॥ २ ॥
arjuna uvAca -
kim tat brahma kim adhyAtmam kim karma puruSottama |
adhibhUtam ca kim proktam adhidaivam kim ucyate || 1 ||
adhiyajJaH katham ko'tra dehe asmin madhusUdana |
prayANa kAle ca katham jJeyo'si niyatAtmabhiH || 2 ||
अर्जुन उवाच [arjuna uvAca] Arjuna said: पुरुषोत्तम [puruSottama] O best among men, किम् तत् ब्रह्म [kim tat brahma] What is that ‘self-existent’? किम् अध्यात्मम् [kim adhyAtmam] Which is the environment? किम् कर्म [kim karma] Which ‘activity’ did you mean? अधिभूतम् किम् प्रोक्तम् [adhibhUtam kim proktam] What is the entire material creation? अधिदैवम् किम् उच्यते च [adhidaivam kim ucyate ca] and what is meant by ‘the divine agent’?
मधुसूदन [madhusUdana] O Krishna, अधियज्ञः कः [adhiyajJaH kaH] what is the purpose of worship देहे अस्मिन् [dehe asmin] in this body? कथम् [katham] In what manner अत्र [atra] is it mentioned here? च [ca] Finally, कथम् [katham] in what way ज्ञ्येयः असि [jJyeyaH asi] are You known नियतात्मभिः [niyatAtmabhiH] to the people who focus themselves, प्रयाण काले [prayANa kAle] when they leave the body?
How do we get to know the Lord?
In the previous chapter (7-29), it was mentioned that there are people who take the Lord’s refuge to discover the Self and get free from infirmity and death. It was mentioned that they must know the self-existent, the environment and all activity. Here, Arjuna asks- What are they?
It was also said that those who desire wealth must know this material creation, the divine agent operating inside and the purpose of worship. What are these?
Who is the object of worship, for whose purpose we are in this body, to be known by all three types of worshippers ? How does He stand as the object of all worship?
In what way do the three types of worshippers know You (The Lord) when they leave their bodies?