Verse 8.3
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच | अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते | भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञितः ||३||
Transliteration (IAST)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | akṣaraṁ brahma paramaṁ svabhāvo 'dhyātmam ucyate | bhūta-bhāvodbhava-karo visargaḥ karma-saṁjñitaḥ ||3||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
The Supreme Lord said: The imperishable, transcendent being is called Brahman. Its dwelling in each individual body is called Adhyatma. The creative force that brings forth the existence of beings is called Karma.
Commentary
Krishna begins answering Arjuna's questions systematically. Shankaracharya defines akshara as that which never perishes - the supreme Brahman. Svabhava (one's own nature) refers to the individual soul's essential identity, and visarga (the creative offering) is karma that generates embodied existence.