Bhagavatgita a detailed studychapter8- Imperishable Brahman

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12. sarvadhvaaraaNi samyamya manao hrdhi niruDhya cha

moorDhni aaDhaaya aathmanaH praNam aasThitho

yogaDhaaraaNam

Closing all the gates of outlet, mind centered in the heart, fixing the vital breath at the head, engaged in yoga,

13. om ithi ekaalsharam brahma vyaaharan maam anusmaran

yaH prayaathi thyajan dheham sa yaathi paramaam

gathim

 

One who leaves the body, chanting the single syllable Om, the symbol of Brahman and thinking of Me continuously, attains the supreme goal.

 

sarvadhvaaraaNi samyamya- There are ten sense organs in the body through which the contact with the external world is maintained. Closing the gates means sense control which pertains to the body.

Mano hrdhi niruDHya- Hrdh, the heart here means the seat of emotions. Even if the senses are controlled the mind may be dwelling on the sense objects. Hence the mind must be controlled.

 

The first line of the sloka thus implies Sama and dhama disciplines of the yoga, that is, internal and external control of the mind and the senses. Thus body and mind controlled the next is the concentration technique by breath control.

 

moorDhni aaDhaaya aathmanaH praaNam- This pertains to the control of the intellect by concentration denoted by the term fixing the life breath in the head. Thus the body , mind and the intellect are integrated.

 

Om ithi ekaaksharam Brahma- The Brahman is symbolized by the syllable Om, The Upanishad says,

 

Ethath ekaaksharam brahma ethath eva aksaram param

 

Ethath eva aksharam jnaathvaa yo yadhicChathi thasya thath

(Katopanishad-1.2.16)

 

This syllable , (meaning Om) is Brahman, This is the imperishable supreme reality. Knowing this alone one gets what he wants.

 

maam anusmaran- contemplating on Me, Brahman, synonymous with Narayana of Visishtadhvaitha referred to as Me.

 

One who leaves his body thus, attains the highest goal that is, Moksha. Thus Krishna has answered all the questions asked by Arjuna in the beginning of the chapter.

 

After reiterating the idea expressed in second line of the last sloka, namely the last thought about the Lord on leaving the body secures freedom from rebirth in the next two slokas Krishna traces the journey of the soul on leaving the body in the case of those who have not attained the highest goal described above.

14. ananyachethaaH sathatham yo maam smarathi nithyaSaH

 

thasya aham sulabhaH paarThaa nithyayukthasya yoginaH

 

To the yogi who remembers Me always at all times with concentration everyday, without any other thought, I become easily attainable O Parthaa.

 

15. maam upethya punarjanma dhuhkhaalayam aSaasvathanm

 

na aapnuvanthi mahaathmaanaH samsidDhimim

paramaamgathaaH

 

Attaining Me, the great souls who have reached the highest goal, do not get into rebirth which is the abode of sorrow and which is impermanent.

 

These two slokas are mere reiteration of what was said in two previous slokas.

 

Ananya chethaaH – without thinking of anything else. This implies the control of body, mind and intellect outlined previously.

 

Sathatham smarathi mithyaSah- remembering, smarathi, always, sathatham, nithyasaH at all times.

 

Nithya yukthasya yoginaH- The yogi who has his mind integrated in the Lord everyday. Here the term yoga means only to bhakthiyoga as the chapters 7 to 12 are about bhakthi yoga only even though the technique of yoga as understood commonly, that is, ashtanga yoga, is referred to by the last two slokas. The words thasya aham sulabhaH, "to him, I am easily attainable" confirms only bhakthiyoga. In chapter 11 the Lord says bhakthyaathu ananyayaa SakyaH, "I am not to be seen like this except through devotion."

Those who have attained the highest state described in the previous sloka 13, never revert back into rebirth. The rebirth is mentioned as the abode of sorrow dhuhkhaalayam, and impermanent, aSaasvatham, Everyone dislikes death but never seems to understand that as long as there is birth the death is certain. Not only that, but also the birth brings in its wake all the sorrows of samsara. It is impermanent, because it ends with death only to start again. So to end the ills of samsara and death is to end the rebirth punarjanma. The only way to do this is to attain the Lord. Hence Krishna says maamupethya punarjanma na aapnuvanthi., those who attain Me do not have re