अर्जुन उवाच किं तद्ब्रह्म किमध्यात्मं किं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम। अधिभूतं च किं प्रोक्तमधिदैवं किमुच्यते।।8.1।।
arjunaḥ uvāca kim taddbrahma kim adhyātmam kim karma puruṣottama adhibhūtaṁ ca kim proktam adhidaivaṁ kim ucyate
Translation
Arjuna said: What is that Brahman? What is the self? What is action, O Supreme Person? What is the material manifestation? What is called the demigods?
Word Meanings
arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said; kim — what; tat — that; brahma — Brahman; kim — what; adhyātmam — the self; kim — what; karma — fruitive activities; puruṣottama — O Supreme Person; adhibhūtaṁ — the material manifestation; ca — and; kim — what; proktam — is called; adhidaivaṁ — the demigods; kim — what; ucyate — is called
Understanding the Verse
In this opening query of Chapter 8, Arjuna turns his attention from the battlefield to the ultimate nature of reality. Having heard Krishna’s discourse on the path of knowledge, devotion, and the nature of the self, the warrior seeks clarification on the highest metaphysical concepts. By asking "What is that Brahman?" he is probing the unmanifest, immutable absolute that underlies all existence, the same source that Krishna repeatedly describes as the supreme, indivisible reality.
The second question, "What is the self (adhyātmam)?" distinguishes the individual soul (ātman) from the material body and the transient mind. Arjuna is asking how the soul relates to the cosmic Brahman, a theme central to the Gita’s teaching that the soul is eternal, ever‑witnessing, and distinct from the perishable ego.
When Arjuna asks "What is karma?" he is referring not merely to actions but to the entire system of cause and effect that binds souls to the cycle of birth and death. By addressing the Supreme Person (puruṣottama), he acknowledges Krishna’s position as the ultimate controller of dharma and the dispenser of karmic results.
The next pair of questions—"What is adhibhūtaṁ?" and "What is adhidaivaṁ?"—focus on the manifested world. Adhibhūtaṁ denotes the physical universe, the gross elements that are perceivable through the senses, while adhidaivaṁ points to the spiritual entities, the demigods who preside over the subtle realms. Arjuna is essentially asking how the visible and the subtle are organized under the supreme consciousness.
Krishna’s forthcoming answers will integrate these seemingly disparate categories into a single vision: all that is material, all that is subtle, the soul, and the Supreme are expressions of the one Brahman. This verse also exemplifies the Gita’s method of dialectic questioning, where the disciple’s doubts become the catalyst for profound revelation. By articulating his confusion, Arjuna models the sincere seeker who does not accept teachings at face value but strives for precise understanding.
Thus, verse 8.1 sets the stage for the “Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman,” where the Lord will describe the nature of the absolute, the soul, the material world, and the divine hierarchy, guiding the aspirant toward liberation (mokṣa) through knowledge (jnana) and devotion (bhakti).
