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← Chapter 8: The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman

Verse 8.4

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

अधिभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चाधिदैवतम् | अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर ||४||

Transliteration (IAST)

adhibhūtaṁ kṣaro bhāvaḥ puruṣaś cādhidaivatam | adhiyajño 'ham evātra dehe deha-bhṛtāṁ vara ||4||

Word-by-Word Meanings

adhibhūtam-the physical manifestation
kṣaraḥ bhāvaḥ-perishable nature
puruṣaḥ-the cosmic person
adhidaivatam-the divine
adhiyajñaḥ-the Lord of sacrifice
aham-I
dehe-in the body

Translation

The physical manifestation is the perishable nature of beings. The cosmic person is the divine. And the Lord of all sacrifices is I Myself, dwelling here in this body, O best of embodied beings.

Commentary

Krishna completes His answers to Arjuna's seven questions. Madhva explains that adhibhuta refers to the ever-changing material elements, adhidaiva to Hiranyagarbha (the cosmic soul), and adhiyajna to Vishnu Himself present as the inner witness in every body, establishing His immanence within all creation.

Themes

jnanaatmanbhakti